


The Origin of Roh Shan

by DARWIN51



Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra, Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Adventure, Airbender, Avatar, Avatar kyoshi, Book - Freeform, Book 1, Comedy, Completed, Disabled Character, Earthbender, F/F, Identical Twins, LGBT, LGBT Character, Lesbian, Original Characters - Freeform, Psychopath, Twins, female main character, firebender, full story arc, if you liked kyoshi you will like this i promise, kyoshi - Freeform, lgbt main characters, original avatar, rangi - Freeform, rise of kyoshi, very much book style
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-25
Updated: 2020-04-03
Packaged: 2021-02-28 03:49:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 67
Words: 109,014
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22887349
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DARWIN51/pseuds/DARWIN51
Summary: What if the next Avatar was a well-camouflaged psychopath? When 16-year-old firebender Roh-Shan realizes she can airbend, she uses it to secretly satisfy sadistic tendencies.But when her best friend is accused of assassination and her city threatened, even her Avatar duties are put on hold while she struggles to learn how to do the right thing while also fighting for her life and the safety of her family. Is her mental illness a blessing or a curse?// I hope this can attempt to fill the void while we wait for the next Kyoshi book...
Comments: 5
Kudos: 17





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This takes place before all the currently known Avatars except Wan. I imagine Roh as the firebender one cycle before Yanchen's predecessor, but you can imagine her wherever.

Prologue:

The jungle air was crisp with morning dew, mist hung static as the first rays of sunlight met the cold earth. A short distance away, the peace was disturbed by a man with a hiking stick, poking through the groundcover and then stepping on it.

"Hurry up _bachche_ , we're burning daylight!" He started whisper-singing an instrumental song to himself. "ba dada bowww!"

A tired-looking woman followed a few paces behind, and two teenage girls trudged along after her. He seemed to be the only one enjoying himself.

One girl fell behind, watching a pythonaconda wrap itself around an unsuspecting squirrel toad and begin constricting the small animal. She watched the serpent open its mouth to sink its fangs into its prey with a completely neutral face.

She checked around to make sure her family was out of sight, then crouched down completely unafraid of the pythonaconda and watched with fascination as the squirrel toad's eyes bulged. Frowning, she cautiously raised one splayed hand, and twisted.

After a small struggle, the pythonaconda loosened its grip on the other animal, and dropped it. The squirrel toad hobbled away and disappeared into the brush, but the serpent stayed frozen, stuck.

The girl curled her fingers inward, pulling her hand back slowly.

A visible swirl of air left the pythonaconda's open mouth, its jaw still unhooked and wide enough to swallow the girl's face, but she still crouched right in front of it.

She grinned, enjoying the complete control for another few seconds, the animal completely at her mercy. Finally, she released it, letting it drop back to the ground. The animal recovered for a moment, then quickly disappeared into the greenery.

"Roh-Shan!? Where'd ya go, kiddo?" The man's voice disturbed the morning forest.

After another moment of no acknowledgement, the girl stood up and headed toward the voice.

~//~

Chapter 1: Arrival

The sun was nearing the horizon as the Fire Nation leisure ship pulled into port, the bright rays of daylight starting to settle into the evening gold.

"Hope you enjoyed your trip! Come again!" one of the shiphands waved Roh-Shan and her family down the ramp onto the dock.

She caught him staring just a little bit longer at herself and her sister. They're pretty used to that. She and Maita are identical in every single way, so much so that strangers often have to look at them a few times to make sure they'd really seen two different people. The only thing anyone used to tell them apart were their voices.

The solid ground was a little disorienting after four days on the water, but ultimately it was a relief to be home.

Several ostrich-horse carriages awaited nearby to carry the more wealthy passengers, all of which were Fire Nation officials working for the mayor. Roh's father also works for the mayor, but they're not ostrich-horse rich.

Roh-Shan was quiet on the walk home. She never really liked the family vacations they took. It didn't help that their father had learned a new sea chantey and was singing it as they walked up the path to their house, off key and embarrassing. He continued humming as they reached the front door and he sifted through his bag for the key.

"Girls, I want everything unpacked right away this time, I don't want to see your bags sitting around your room for weeks like last time because you're too lazy to do your laundry." Their mother said, right on cue bringing the stress of normal life crashing back before they could even take their shoes off.

As their father fussed with the door, trying several keys and holding another between his teeth, the door swung inward. The warm, welcoming glow of home spilled out and an elderly woman stood just inside, smiling.

"Mother! Good to see you again! I should've known you wouldn't leave the door locked on us." His voice was muffled from the key in his mouth. He took it out, gave his mother-in-law a small kiss on the cheek and stepped inside. He was always very animated after vacations, Roh thought, probably because he isn't immediately dragged into work again as soon as he gets home.

Her grandmother greeted each of them warmly, then added, "You're just in time to change everyone's nappies." The loud wail of a child came from the daycare attached to their house, as if to prove her point.

Maita dutifully ducked into the girls bedroom to drop off her bags, while their grandmother walked back into the main playroom. Roh hung around for an extra minute with her mother. "Uh, Mom, I was actually going to meet up with Kota and Paulo and them when they get off work. Which is right now. Please."

"Nice try. Go help change nappies and wash whatever dishes the kids used today. Then you can go." She said without looking up from unpacking her bag.

Roh let out a long huff of air through her teeth, then marched back to her room. She should've asked her father. He would've said yes.

~//~


	2. Barn

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kota discovers Roh's secret (alcohol use)

By the time Roh-Shan had finished washing all the dishes, the sun was already half-set, leaving the entire town washed in golden hour. Roh speed-walked her way through well-worn backroads that led to the large barn many of the other sixteen-year-olds worked at. For a while she'd thought it would be fun to get a job with her friends, but soon realized she wasn't cut out for the physical work and strict conditions when she could instead work at the family business from home. Still, sometimes forking and packaging straw all day sounded better than changing fourteen soiled nappies.

Thankfully, she knew at this hour the afternoon-shift manager was in charge, and he was much more relaxed than the drill-instructor-wannabe morning manager. This one, Mani, usually let Roh wait in the loft for her friends to finish work.

As she approached the barn, she saw workers slowly filing out. She was just in time for the end of the workday.

Trying to get in the small door while everyone wanted out was like swimming upstream, but eventually she found an opening and slipped through. She rounded the corner from the mudroom into the main barn, and nearly ran into Mani.

"Oh! Sorry!"

"They're up there." He grunted. "Just close the door behind you when you leave. It'll lock."

He wasn't exactly a  _ nice _ manager, just not a mean one. Rather, indifferent.

She climbed the ladder to the highest hay loft, four stories up. She spotted her friends in the corner, where she knew they'd be, and ducked to avoid the slanted roof as she made her way over. The golden sunlight peeking through the cracks illuminated every dust speck floating through the air, and left a beam of light on the straw-covered wood panels

"Roh!" Kota called, sounding like she had something in her mouth.

"Look who's back, Roh-Shan. I could smell ya coming." Paulo greeted, which earned him a punch in the shoulder from Ashoka. Kota was chewing the end of a green bean.

Roh took in the sight that shouldn't make her jealous but always did. The three of them, reclined against loose bales of hay, dirt-smudged, boots-kicked-off and sweaty like they'd just been through the wringer together. They always looked like they'd  _ earned _ the end of the day, whereas Roh usually just had a fresh spit-up stain to prove she'd done anything at all.

But she knew she'd never make it working here, and most people here would trade places with her in an instant.

"Get your ass over here." Kota swiped the spot next to her.

Roh climbed over and sat back, trying to fit in.

Paulo had been in the middle of a story, "So anyway, Buwei says "put your shit on, the boss wants us to bring in the deliveries", and me and Qian get our muck boots and shit on, right? Soon as we do, Buwei comes back and says nevermind, they got someone else to do it. We take our shit off. Then, he comes  _ back _ , says the guys they got need help. We get our shit back on. We get to the door and Buwei  _ again _ says they already got the deliveries. Right? So we wait a minute in case he changes his  _ mind again _ ,"

Paulo already had everyone holding in laughter just from his tone and facial expressions.

"So we wait one minute. Two.  _ Five. _ Nothing. We  _ finally _ take our shit off again. Guess what happens in minute-fucking-six?"

Kota interjected, "If Buwei had more than half a brain, I'd say he was purposely tryna fuck with you."

"But he  _ doesn't,  _ that's the sad thing!"

Everyone was laughing again.

"Maybe he's just been sipping a little too much of that bog juice." Ashoka added.

"Hey, the bottle's half empty, and it can't be more than a week old." Paulo said.

"Wait… he really has bog in his office?" She asked.

"Yeah right." Kota said, but didn't sound so sure.

"No really, on spirits, I've seen it with my own eyes. He's always got one under his desk, behind the trash tin. Doesn't even keep it locked up or anything." Paulo insisted.

Ashoka raised an eyebrow in the silence. "…Doesn't keep it locked up?" She met eyes with everyone. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

Roh jumped in, "Ashoka, know what I'm thinking? I'm thinking  _ your dad owns a bar _ , you can get all the bog juice you want."

Ashoka burst out laughing. "I'm just messing with you guys. I do have to get home though before sunset. Us non-benders can't exactly just light up whenever it gets dark." She teased.

"Don't worry Ash, I'll light your way home." Paulo laughed, getting up and dusting himself off.

"Thank-- wait you're not a firebender either, you dip!" She smacked his shoulder again.

Still laughing, Paulo pulled on his boots and followed Ashoka to the ladder. "I bid you farewell, and I shall see you at work in two days. Enjoy the weekend tomorrow." He bowed to Roh and Kota sarcastically, and set off down the ladder after her.

The two girls listened to Paulo whistle some obnoxious tune to annoy Ashoka all the way out of the barn, until the door slammed shut behind them.

Kota gave one last quiet laugh. "I don’t know how I'd survive this job if those two weren't here."

"I'd still come and visit for you, I guess. Maybe." Roh teased.

Kota rolled off the hay until she was flat on her back on the wooden loft, finally letting her exhaustion show in full. "I could really use a massage, you know." She joked, rolling onto her stomach and resting her head on her arms.

"You know what happens every time I try to give a massage. I make it worse." Roh replied, taking in Kota's dirt-smudged shoulders, the subtle muscle tone still clear even though little pieces of straw stuck to the bare skin that wasn't covered by her tank top.

That was always a look Roh wished she could pull off. The dark blue uniform jumpsuit of all the barn employees, unbuttoned at the end of the day, peeled halfway down with the sleeves tied off around the waist and tank top underneath. She knew if she tried it though, she could never look as cool as Paulo, or as stylish as Ashoka, or as breathtaking as Kota.

"How was your vacation?" Kota asked, still facedown.

Roh-Shan was well aware that vacations are unheard of to most families in the area. Such luxuries were only afforded to families of government officials working under the city's mayor. Despite having risen in the ranks, Roh's father opted to live on this side of town, a more rural area where he grew up. It kept Roh and Maita rather grounded compared to the East side brats, but still a bit out of place among the poorer families.

"It was fine." Roh generally wasn't too keen on talking about all the jungles and mountains and cities she visited on vacations either. It felt like bragging.

Roh suddenly became aware of her topknot hairstyle. Being seen in public as a government official's daughter, she'd had to keep her dark black hair nice and tidy and honorable like all the  _ respectable _ fire nation youth. She tugged it loose a little, glad to relieve the constant pulling on her scalp. One benefit of living on the West side, nobody really cared about your hair. Kota's attempt at a topknot for example had spilled loose after a long day of work, and was always more of a back-knot anyway. In contrast to Roh's and most fire nation natives' jet black or dark brown hair, Kota's hair was the light dusty brown color that most babies grow out of. Some kids at school used to mock her and say her hair looked like dried up dirt, but Roh thought it matched nicely with her sun-faded freckles.

"Sounds like an awesome trip." Kota muttered sarcastically, knowing she wasn't going to get a real answer out of her best friend anyway. "Just tell me  _ one detail _ about some faraway land. I want to imagine it."

"Um… we saw a waterfall that was like, as tall as a mountain."

Kota lifted her head. "What? Seriously?"

Roh hadn't been expecting that big a reaction. "Yeah. We could barely see the top through the clouds. Most of the water was just mist by the time it got to the bottom."

Kota's eyes flickered with imagination. "Whoa."

Roh wished she could see what her friend was picturing.

"Tell me another thing."

"I don't know…"

"Tell me some other wild thing that's out there. Please. I dare you." Kota said, knowing it takes a lot for Roh to turn down a dare.

"You can't dare me about something like that."

"Okay fine. I'm thinking of two dares. Pick A or B" Kota sat up and held out her closed fists, as if they held the options in them.

Roh thought for a moment, then tapped her right fist.

"B. I dare you to see if Buwei actually has bog juice in his office."

Roh looked up, startled. "What?"

"You coulda picked A and just told me a story. But you had to make it difficult. Now you gotta go check."

"I'll tell you a story."

"Too late. If you won't check, I will." Kota pushed past her, riding a second wave of energy, and headed toward the ladder.

Roh let her by. "What are you gonna do if you find it?" She really hoped this wasn't leading to something bad.

Kota didn't answer. Roh listened to her descend the ladder and cross the barn. She heard the faint squeak of what must be Buewi's office door open, some shuffling, then heard it close again.

A minute later, Kota's head peeked above the top of the ladder, smiling.

"Wasn't there?" Roh assumed, since she didn't hear any victory shout.

Kota pulled herself the rest of the way on the platform, revealing a glass bottle tucked tightly between her arm and stomach.

"Kota…" Roh was a little shocked. "Why did you bring that up here? I don't--"

Kota slid into place beside Roh, still smiling, and let out a huff of expended energy from climbing the ladder. The familiarity of her best friend's contagious good mood put Roh at ease. "You backed out on a dare. That means you  _ have _ to do the next one. No matter what."

"Um…"

Kota popped the cork off the half-empty bottle. "I dare you to take a sip."

Roh didn't really care about the rules, but she didn't want her friend to lose her job. "No." She said firmly.

"You can't back on two dares."

"You think he won't notice it? Kota, I don't want you to get in trouble!"

"I'll take the fall if he finds out, just do it." She had the spark in her eye of someone who's gotten in trouble too many times to really care anymore.

Their eyes locked, and if it had been for a second less Roh wouldn't have caved. But she couldn't look away. And so she caved.

"Fine." Roh tried to snatch the bottle, intending to take a tiny sip and put it back all in one quick motion, but as soon as the pure bog reached her tongue she yanked the bottle away, trying to swallow the little bit she'd gotten so she didn't spit it on Kota.

Kota rolled back on the floor laughing. Genuinely, laughing to tears. It was almost worth the danger and assault on Roh's taste buds just to see her laugh like that.

Roh looked around for something to wash away the taste but of course there was nothing. She absently licked her lips and tasted it all over again. Gagging, she grabbed a piece of straw and chewed it. When Kota sat back up and saw her friend sitting there with straw sticking out of her mouth, she started a whole new round of laughter.

"It's gross!" Roh defended. "It's so bad it actually  _ hurt! _ You try it!" The words slipped out before she could catch them.

Kota leaned forward and took the bottle.

"I wasn't serious--"

She lifted it to her lips, took a full gulp, and brought it back down. She met Roh's eyes with a smile and swallowed, wincing slightly at the taste, but ultimately proving her point.

They stayed locked. Roh's dark brown eyes with an outer ring of hazel met Kota's lighter eyes, the color of the golden hour sun and twice as intense. Neither of them blinked or looked away, though they were both about to crack up.

Finally, Kota caved and lost her composure, spitting away the remnants of the bog juice on her lips.

It was Roh's turn to laugh at her. "See?"

"Oh please, you barely had enough to fill the belly of a mosquito-ant! Have a real sip and then let's see your straight face."

"Fine." Roh took the bottle back, if for no reason other than to see her friend laugh. She forced all thoughts away and focused on doing it exactly how Kota had. She raised the bottle, took one full gulp, and couldn't even bring the bottle back down before her mouth was involuntarily rejecting it. She managed to keep most of it in this time though, and only a little dribble spilled. She did however, make the mistake of keeping it in her mouth too long before swallowing it.

"Ewhhhh, you gotta swallow right away!" Kota laughed at the other girl's face.

"I tasted it so bad."

"I can tell!"

"Oh wow my throat burns. It feels hot? Is that okay?"

"Yes, you're fine. Well, lemme check again just to make sure…" Kota took the bottle and threw back another two gulps.

"No!" Roh reached for the bottle but still laughed a little. "Kota, you're going to get in so much trouble, look at that. He's gonna notice." She held her fingers apart against the bottle to show how much the level had dropped.

"He'll never know who took it though."

"Wh-- you're not gonna put it back?!" Roh started to feel a warm tingle in her legs and arms. That couldn't be the bog juice that fast, could it?

"I don't have anywhere to be tonight. Do you?"

~

By the time Roh realized the bottle was empty, her vision was swimming. She felt warm and giggly, and her friend rolled on the floor next to her, giggling too, as if the act of rolling around was the most hilarious thing ever.

"Ko… we finished this whole thing." Roh tapped her with the empty bottle.

Kota rolled over until her head was right next to Roh's lap, reached up to put her hand on Roh's knee affectionately, and smiled up at her, barely visible in the limited moonlight that shone through the cracks of the barn. "Roh I took the last sip like… 20 minutes ago. You didn't no-- notice? Know this? Notice?"

"Oh." Roh set the bottle aside. "I can't see shit."

Kota sat up and swept her arms out wide to gather loose hay. She carefully cupped it into a pile, but her fine motor skills were definitely off. Placing her hands on either side of the small mound, she bit her lip in focus and smoke started to rise, followed shortly by a few small licks of green flame.

As always, it was one of the most beautiful things Roh had ever seen. She would never get tired of being entranced by the soft green color of Kota's fire. A dark shamrock at its very core, the flames grew into mostly seafoam green, then white at the tips. They'd never much gotten an answer as to why the flames she produced weren't orange, but in her travels Roh has seen blue and purple firebenders too.

Everyone else in their city had regular orange flames though, as far as Roh knew. And most people didn't know about Kota's fire anyway, since her father largely discouraged --punished, even-- Kota and her brother's firebending. Since they were kids, Roh and Maita took private firebending lessons, which Roh would sometimes take back to Kota, and sneak out at night to teach her everything she could remember.

Kota's since learned some more… "creative", largely dangerous and even illegal techniques that her older brother taught her once he started spending time with the underground rebels in a nearby town.

" _ Careful _ with that." Roh slurred.

Kota huffed a small laugh. "You're a lightweight."

It's true, Roh already felt a headache creeping in. "I think it's wearing off."

" _ You're _ wearing off." Kota rolled to the side again, her foot nearly missing the flames.

"Watch…" Roh said, worrying about the fire catching the rest of the hay.

Kota turned her head to the side to look Roh right in the eyes, her drunken smile never leaving. "Watch what?"

"Um…"

She sat up again, never losing eye contact. "You have gold flecks in your eyes."

"I've been told." Roh looked away, a little self-conscious of how closely her friend was analyzing her eyes. But she ended up looking back again.

"It's really pretty."

"Um…"

Kota leaned in close, and Roh felt pricks of new sweat on her skin and her heart sped up a tiny bit.

At the last second, Kota smiled and blew a puff of air at the side of Roh's face, making a loose piece of her bangs fly up wildly. She pushed herself away again with another fit of laughter while Roh tried to quickly tamp down her hair.

"K… Kocareful!" Roh slurred as her friend rolled just a little too far towards the edge of the loft where the railing dropped off.

Kota let out a single small yelp and in a split second, she'd disappeared.

Roh dove towards the edge, terror sobering her quickly, and reached out a hand even though she knew it was futile. Kota was soundlessly dropping 50 feet straight down to the solid mud floor.

Roh felt a new surge of energy that wasn't quite her own. Without quite knowing what she was doing, her hand over the edge splayed wide and a small swirl of air far below cushioned her friend's fall at the very last second.

Kota hit the ground with the force of a fall no more than 5 feet up, and let out small  _ oof _ as her shoulder contacted the packed dirt.

Roh felt the overwhelming energy slip away, leaving her exhausted. Pure adrenaline drove her towards the ladder and she descended the rungs two at a time, nearly slipping a few times herself. By the time she reached the bottom, Kota was on her knees, looking at the other girl in astonishment.

Roh ran over and dropped to her knees too, looking her friend over for injuries and then pulling her into a hug.

After a pause, Kota pushed her away.

"What? I'm sorry, are you hurt? Did I hurt you? Kota… holy crap."

But the other girl looked almost scared of her. Her breathing was slightly labored from the fall, and it wasn't calming down. "Roh… did you just airbend?"

"What? No, you're drunk. You um, fell from up there and you landed okay, on your own." Her words came out too fast.

"No I didn't. Not from that high up."

"You landed in this haystack here." Roh pointed to a neatly-packed stack of hay bales nearby, but admittedly too far to be plausible.

"No I didn't. I felt wind."

"No. I mean, maybe there was a gust of wind."

"From  _ where? _ "

Roh frantically searched her mind for more excuses. "Do… do you think there's an airbender in here?" She pretended to search the shadows for another person.

"Roh!" Kota grabbed her shoulders and shook her once. "Stop it! What did you just do!?"

"Nothing!" It wasn't convincing.

A small smile broke out over Kota's concerned features. "You're… holy shit Roh, you're the Avatar?"

"Ha! What?"

"Roh, the fucking _ Avatar. _ It makes sense! They haven't found the next Avatar yet, and it's supposed to be a firebender our age. Holy shit, this is amazing!"

"Kota calm the fuck down. You're getting  _ way _ ahead of yourself over a small gust of wind." Roh laughed, making sure to sound as condescending as possible.

Kota frowned. "Why wouldn't you tell me? How long have you known?"

Roh looked at the ground and didn't answer. She bit her lip to keep more denials in. It was useless.

"You can't keep it a secret forever."

Roh paused for a minute, not realizing she'd been holding her breath. Her shoulders slumped. She almost wanted to cry.

Kota realized the moment was not as exciting to Roh as it was to her. She pulled her best friend into a tight hug, even though she still didn't understand why this was bad news.

It was exactly what Roh needed. She held on tight and buried her face in Kota's shoulder, taking a deep, shuddering breath.

Kota rubbed her back silently for a few moments, before daring to ask, "I don't understand what the problem is."

"I don't wanna be the Avatar. I really don't. I never did. I still don't know if this is real." Roh said through tears, her voice muffled in Kota's shirt.

Kota shook her head. "That just confirms it. Every kid wants to be the Avatar, except the real Avatar. They never want to because they're born with the subconscious knowledge of how much pressure and responsibility comes with it. They--" She noticed Roh shaking harder in her arms. "I'm not making it better, am I?"

Roh sniffled and punched her friend's arm playfully. "Of course not, you dip."

Silence settled over the barn while Kota stroked her friend's hair softly. Even though she knew exactly what she was going to say next, she wanted to give Roh a few moments. Her eyes had adjusted to the darkness of the ground floor, and the shadows waited patiently for whatever would come next. The small green fire still flickered far up above. It didn't escape her thoughts for one second that she came very close to dying in the exact spot they were sitting in.

"Roh." Kota started softly, "No Avatar in recorded history has done their job completely alone. You would  _ never _ be expected to take this on by yourself. Whoever your Team Avatar is gonna be, they will  _ always _ have your back. And so will I."

Roh hugged her tighter. " _ Thank you. _ " It was exactly what she didn't even know she needed to hear. She tried to gain her composure a little before continuing, letting out a small laugh, "I just wanted a normal life working at the daycare and raising a family."

Kota smiled against her hair. "No you didn't."

~

Climbing the ladder drunk was a lot harder than it was coming down. Granted, Roh was pretty sure adrenaline had briefly overtaken the effect of the bog juice, but now it was back again full-force. Thankfully, the repetitive motion was easy to follow no matter how much the rungs swayed in her vision. Once at the top, she crawled back to their small fire, making sure Kota stayed far, far away from the edge of the loft.

Kota seemed noticeably more sober at that point, though Roh attributed that to her just being able to hold the bog better.

"So what else can you do?" Kota laid on her stomach in the corner and propped her elbows up to rest her chin in her hands.

"What?"

"Airbending tricks? Ooh, can you waterbend or earthbend yet?"

"No, Kota, I barely know what I'm doing with air. It's almost always an accident." The 'almost' part was key. Roh had nearly perfected one move in particular.

"You just need to practice more. Try to put out the fire."

"I'm too tired." Roh laid down against loose hay, curling up on her side and tucking her hand under her cheek.

"Wait, whoa. Can Maita bend air too?"

"What?"

"Like, since you're identical twins. Has any Avatar been a twin before? Or wait, what if you can do fire and air, and she can do water and earth?"

"She already bends fire." Roh reminded her.

"Oh yeah… Maybe you're both the Avatar, though. That would be so cool."

Yeah, Roh was really looking forward to being compared to her sister for the rest of her life. On the other hand, at least she wouldn't have to do the Avatar thing alone…

Kota continued randomly blurting her train of thought out loud, "Although, there are sets of identical twins where one is a bender and one isn't. If it's only you though, I wonder how Raava picked you and not Maita."

"Who?"

"Maita, your  _ sister. _ " Kota giggled. Well, the bog juice still had a pretty good grip on her.

"No, the other thing. It sounds really familiar." Like a nursery rhyme she hadn't heard since childhood, or longer.

"Oh man, Kenja used to be  _ obsessed _ with Avatar lore. She learned everything that's ever been recorded about the first Avatar and all that, and… well, records about a lot of the Avatars in between are more rare, she'd have to travel to the Earth Kingdom to read those scrolls. She had a huge crush on Tyric when she was a kid, even though he was like, 15 years older than her, haha! She saw one painting of him and--"

"No, Kota, what was the other name you said?" Roh didn't have the patience to hear about how Kota's older sister had a crush on her in a past life. She could barely process words right now, let alone Kota's drunken stream of thought.

"Impatient much? Cool your ostrich-horses. When me and Dagon were little, she told us the story of the first Avatar, and how the spirits of light and darkness fought each other, and the spirit of light, Raava, merged with the first Avatar, um, I forget his name… One, or something like that? Anyway, together they fought darkness and locked it in a tree or something. And when he died Raava was reborn somewhere else, in the next incarnation of the Avatar, an airbender I think."

"Ah, whatever." Roh still didn't completely follow. Locking someone in a tree didn't sound like a real thing that happened. She made a mental note to ask Kenja sometime when the room wasn't spinning. "Ko… I can't close my eyes, everything moves so fast."

Kota settled in to fall asleep too, letting out one small yawn. "Put your hand on the wall." She mumbled.

Roh did, and instantly everything slammed to a halt. "Holy… shit Kota. That worked."

"Course it worked."

Roh wondered how many times her friend has gotten drunk before without her. What? No, why would Kota get drunk _ with _ her? Why was she kind of a little bit jealous that someone else got to experience the giggly, cuddly drunk side of Kota while Roh was probably sitting at home? That thought slipped away quickly as she was glad Kota had done this before because maybe she also had a solution to ease the pukey feeling that was creeping up.

"How do you fix um… feeling like you're gonna throw up?"

Kota laughed. "You throw up."

"Uhhhh…" Roh tilted her head back and kept one shaking hand on the wall. Right there. She didn't wanna move. That one spot felt okay. "Why does anyone drink this stuff? That was fun for like, 8 minutes."

Kota softly hummed a laugh this time, nearly asleep. "You'd be surprised how many times you're gonna say that." She swung her foot out and smothered the fire with her boot, which Roh had forgotten about.

It was harder to fall asleep than Roh had thought. "Kota…"

"Hmmwhat?"

"I'm not gonna puke anymore."

"Good."

"My hand keeps… falling off the wall. How do you… if I touch my head to the wall, will that work?"

"There's another trick."

"What is it?"

No answer. Roh got annoyed for a second thinking her friend had fallen asleep without answering her. Then she registered warmth to her left. Kota slid up next to her, her mouth right next to her ear, and settled in laying on her side, facing Roh, while Roh still faced the ceiling.

"Hold on to me." Kota hummed quietly, so she wouldn't blast Roh's eardrums out.

Roh reached her right arm over, her hand coming to rest on her friend's upper arm. It worked. The spinning stopped.

Within minutes Kota's breathing slowed, falling into a peaceful sleep. The grounding of having someone to hold onto, combined with the rhythmic rise and fall of her chest, lulled Roh into a much easier sleep than she would've had if she were alone.

~//~


	3. Rebel Meeting 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Secret meeting of the order of the Black Iris

"Attention!" The booming shout filled the small second-story attic, quickly silencing the 30 or so men and women crammed in. Moonlight shone in, their only light source. The man at the front, in a black robe with purple trim and burning golden eyes, clapped his hands once and gave a three-tone whistle. "By the order of the Black Iris, Greater Ren Haru Chapter, I hereby call this meeting to order!"

Everyone collectively clapped once in response, perfectly in unison. The man bowed to the crowd, and they silently sat down on the floor.

"My Iris brothers and sisters. As some of you have heard, Mayor Odei has just declared a raise on all agricultural income tax, effective next month."

Harsh words were whispered by those who hadn't yet heard.

"Odei has already wrung every last coin he possibly can from our farm-owning families and our poorest field workers. While he sits on the excess cash in his marble palace, our children go hungry and cold. These "taxes" are supposedly going to the betterment of the community. I haven't seen any improvement to the leaky roof on the schoolhouse, or the broken step, or the outdated textscrolls. Have you?"

"No!" Several voices spoke up.

"I haven't seen our roads maintained. Two weeks ago I witnessed an elderly gentleman twist his ankle in a pothole. I followed up with him yesterday to see how he's doing. The claim he filed with the Mayor's office to have his healer bill paid was rejected."

"Boo!" One person yelled.

"Has anyone had a similar experience?"

"Yes!" Several more voices.

"And what about protection? If our village were raided by pirates tonight, do you  _ trust _ Mayor Odei's forces to protect us?"

"No!"

"Do you suppose he would even  _ care?" _

"NO!"

The man expertly let the following silence hang in the air, cooling everyone down a bit. "But I don't stand in front of you tonight to talk about taxes. Some far more concerning news came from our inside source today."

Confusion spread across the room, then worry.

"Mayor Odei…" He paused, as if it were hard to say. "is going to pass a movement that will cut down on food rations."

Cries of shock and anger swept quickly around the room, then silence as the leader raised his hand.

"My brothers and sisters. Are we going to stand for this? Are we going to let our neighbors, our friends, our  _ children _ , starve?"

"NO!"

He gave a sharp nod. "Ready your weapons."

Everyone in the room instantly stood and pulled out weapons they had been hiding in cloaks and sleeves. Sticks, stakes, hooked metal bars, knives, and homemade creative tools suddenly filled the hands of every citizen in the room. Most of the items seemed to be more for practical use rather than to cause harm.

"Tonight, we're storming the police station's storehouse. We're taking every last ration they're stashing away before Odei can get his hands on them, so we can distribute them _ FAIRLY, _ based on _ need, _ not social class!" He paused for a moment. "Ideally, we will not encounter anyone. We have no need to get violent with anyone we encounter unless they are violent first. Do not forget, that is the Black Iris oath.  _ Strike not first _ ,"

" _ but in return _ ." The rest of the room recited.

" _ For the battles of others _ ," He continued.

" _ I need not concern." _

_ "I protect my kin," _

_ "my home and land." _

_ "And by the Black Iris," _

_ "I SWEAR TO STAND _ !" The room erupted.

The leader raised his fist to the sky, and the hyped crowd cheered and turned for the door.

At that moment, the windows burst in. Two dark uniformed figures landed and blasted fire across the ceiling, illuminating the dark room and forcing everyone to the ground amid shouts from more uniformed men who burst through the door, their coordinated moves effectively blocking all exits while they torched the ceiling.

As some of the citizens realized what was happening, they started to shove for the exits anyway, but a large black net shot out from the hands of two uniformed officers, and two more on the other side of the room caught the other ends and pinned them to the floor.

One officer descended on the leader, who had escaped the net. He whipped a set of handcuffs around the robed man before he had time to react. In front of his loyal followers, the man was helpless as the officer raised a small metal weapon to the man's head. No larger than a butcher's knife, the spring-loaded piston with a sharp pointed end held enough force to easily penetrate a human skull with the release of a button.

"Please." Was all the man said. His voice started desperate but by the end of the word, it turned to acceptance and defiance, in solidarity with his brothers and sisters trapped under the net who were about to perish with him. He closed his eyes as if he were asleep.

With a  _ pop _ , the spring released, and the man dropped to the ground with a fresh dark red spot on the side of his head.

The roof finally caught up in flames. Inside, knives frantically scraped at the metal netting while the officers jumped back out the windows and door. The flames quickly fell lower and lower, peeling down the walls while the poorly-ventilated black smoke threatened to suffocate anyone not taken by flames.

A woman's triumphant cry rang out as she managed to cut through one of the ends of the net. As she slipped out and reached back to help others, her arm was quickly swallowed by those begging to be let out, while the hole she'd created caused a traffic jam. Silently apologizing, she hacked hands away from her arm with her knife, and dove for the window, but not before one more hand grabbed her ankle. Her momentum threw her body through the window while her leg stayed, a wet snap sounding out as her leg was bent over the window ledge. The hand let go, and she dropped to the ground, crying out in agony.

The uniformed officers had slipped out into the night as the building became engulfed in flames.

A woman ran out of the first floor, holding an infant in her arms and a young child by the hand. She saw the flames and heard the cries. She cried out desperately for a man who would never answer.

Before the building became totally engulfed, several more citizens managed to escape the netting and leap from the window, some badly burned, some injuring themselves on the way down. One man with a dark ponytail and a gold nose piercing landed on his feet, and ran off into the night.

The town's fire brigade, also run by the police, never responded.

~//~


	4. Komodo Rhino

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The girls wake up to an apocalyptic scene

Roh slowly became aware of daylight pushing against her eyelids, patiently waiting to be let in. She was surprised it was already light out, considering she didn't feel rested at all. The next thing to register were that her muscles were sore, and she inhaled deeply, a vague memory of last night's events rising to the surface.

Wait.

She opened her eyes fully and let out her breath quickly so she could inhale again. There was an undeniable odor in the air. Smoke.

She sat up quickly, startling Kota next to her. Kota's eyes were open in a flash, always a light sleeper and ready to force her mind to a 10 on a moment's notice. She bolted upright, though faltered as a wave of dizziness slammed her.

"Do you--" Roh started, but she didn't need to finish that sentence. Kota smelled it too.

They both looked quickly toward the spot their fire had been, but it was soot-smudged and long-since extinguished. Roh crawled to the edge of the loft to check the barn, but already knew based on the lack of heat that it wasn't coming from inside.

"It's outside." She reported. "Maybe someone's just having a bonfire, or firebending."

"How late did we sleep?" Kota rubbed her head and pulled her uniform sleeves back over her shoulders.

Roh peered out a particularly large space between the plank walls and checked the position of the sun. "Holy shit… I think it's past noon."

Kota bolted toward the ladder, and Roh followed close behind. "Our  _ one day _ off out of the whole week, and we sleep til noon. Crap. Crap."

"Daycare's open on the weekend, can't relate." Roh muttered.

They reached the bottom and that's when they heard shouts coming from the street. The smell of smoke intensified as they neared the door. Kota burst out the door and froze.

Roh pushed through to see what she was looking at, and instantly turned to run back inside but the door had already shut and locked behind them.

"Kota, RUN!" Roh grabbed her frozen friend's arm, but it was futile. She felt a hot breath on the back of her neck. Gripping Kota's hand, Roh turned around to come face-to-face with the komodo rhino in front of them.

It snorted again, its massive eye staring right at her. It looked predatory, but also frightened. Ultimately, predatory won. It reared back, three sharp horns lined up to impale both girls.

Instinctively, Roh raised her arm and punched a fireblast at it, which of course was useless because komodo rhinos are impervious to most flame.

More enraged, the animal thrust its largest horn forward and the two girls jumped to opposite sides as the horn slammed into the barn wall right between them with enough force to shake the entire structure. Both girls screamed but it only joined the chorus of cries from the street. Roh dared a glance and saw a cabbage merchant being chased by an elephant rat.

Roh tried to quickly recall everything she learned about self defense in a komodo rhino attack. Play dead? No, that's an armadillo bear. Komodo rhino. Never get low to the ground, that was rule number one. The sheer power in their feet would stomp you in an instant. Don't run, never run. Only prey runs.

But there didn't seem to be many other options at that point, as the animal ripped his horn out of the wood and reared back again.

"Roh! Blast it away!" Kota shouted.

"Fire doesn't work!" Why didn't Kota know that?

"No, air!"

_ Oh. _

Roh glanced toward the street again. There were so many people out, running, yelling. There was way too high a chance someone would see her airbend if she did right now.

The komodo rhino took another stab and the next thing Roh processed was that its large horn violently collided with the barn wall where Kota had _ just been. _ Roh didn't even have time to process that Kota had ducked out of the way, but not before being clipped by one of the beast's smaller set of horns. A dark bloodstain spread from a tear in her uniform arm.

That wasn't even a concern on the map though, because the dive had put Kota on the ground, right next to the animal's powerful foot.

Its sharp claws scraped the ground as it raised its foot. She wasn't gonna be able to roll away from this one.

" _ Airbend!" _ Kota shouted.

Ignoring her request, Roh shot a narrow beam of fire from two fingers right at the animal's eye. It reared back in pain and turned its attention to Roh.

Safe from the beast's foot, Kota sat halfway up and froze in fear, seeing the telltale raising of the animal's tail. It signaled it was about to charge, and komodo rhinos never back down from a charge.

Roh was completely stuck. Either she was about to airbend or she was about to die. She raised her open palm to the beast lamely, cowering behind her hand as if telling the animal to stop. Even if she wanted to, nothing was coming out. She thrust her arm again, nothing. She knew it was because deep down she still didn't want to airbend with the chance of someone seeing, and aside from last night's fall, fear has never motivated her like it has other people. 

The komodo rhino leapt off its back feet, only two steps away from Roh's cowering form.

All she heard was Kota screaming and blood rushing through her ears.

No, not blood.  _ Water. _

A massive wave of water flooded down the street and filled alleyways with violent rushing force. The rhino let out a primal cry of fear as a much, much louder, piercing screech shook the trees and echoed off the mountain. The rhino wisely gave up its fight and ran in the other direction as a flash of black swept through the street.

Roh dove and grabbed Kota's arm, intending to yank her up but instead falling next to her as a wave of water took their feet from under them. The small wave soaked them, but it was the last of the water as the Unagi slipped helplessly down the hill. Barely an adolescent, the beached Unagi writhing in the street was already nearly as long as the street itself.

But it wasn't the predator here either. Kota staggered to her feet and ran toward a nearby hill to get a better view of what the hell was happening uptown. They crested the large hill, taking in the sight.

Animals of all shapes and kinds rampaged through the streets, as smoke cloaked much of uptown.

But they could still see exactly what had happened. The zoo, pride and glory of the city and possibly the best in the Fire Nation, was engulfed in flames.

Green flames.

~//~


	5. Cellar

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An attempt at escape ends in a fight.

Kota suddenly felt weak at the knees and dropped awkwardly, catching herself by bracing one foot and one hand on the grass.

Raw screeches and cries filled the air as some animals were unable to escape their confinement while the raging flames descended on them.

Other cries came from citizens being chased and terrorized by the animals that did escape. Some were even trying to corral the less violent animals.

Before either girl could say anything, the unmistakable sound of glass popping and shattering from heat split the air. A black mass rose from the flames and broke apart, a swarm of buzzard wasps individually growing larger as they flew toward the heart of town.

Thinking only instinctively, Roh grabbed her friend's arm and spun them around, sliding quickly down the hill as the town's "shelter-in-place" siren started its low moan and rose, echoing ominously.

At the bottom of the hill, both girls took off into a sprint past the locked barn, across the street and to the next nearest building they knew they could get into. Ashoka's dad's bar.

It was closed during the day but all of Ashoka's friends knew the back door was kept unlocked. Roh reached the door first and yanked it open, turning and shoving Kota inside, admittedly a bit more roughly than she normally would. She couldn't get the sight of the green flames out of her head. She pulled the door closed hard behind her as the buzzard wasps began to fill the streets.

~

Inside, the bar was dark and the chairs upturned on the tables for floor cleaning. Glancing at the window coverings, Roh knew they probably wouldn't hold if a buzzard wasp really wanted to get in. She grabbed Kota's hand and dragged her to the cellar door, pushing it open and blindly descending the stone steps into darkness.

Kota froze again at the top of the stairs. While her mind can jump from zero to ten in a split second, her body takes a bit longer. 

Roh didn't have time for this. She yanked Kota's arm again until she followed, then sealed the door shut behind them. She produced a small flame in her palm to light their way down.

The old cellar had a low ceiling and it was clear only the first few shelves were still used. Cobwebs stretched their long tendrils connecting every available surface to one another. Old, empty bottles sat precariously on the shelves, and they clanked a little when the door shut, as if warning them that the extensive cobwebs weren't safety belts, and would give up their contents at the slightest disturbance.

Once they made it to the back, Roh spun and held her flame up to see Kota's face better. Her anger was masking her pure confusion. "Kota, what the hell did you do!?" She still held the other girls forearm in her fist.

To Roh's surprise, finally getting a good look at her, her friend looked absolutely shell-shocked. Besides the shock of seeing a fire only she could have produced, Kota hadn't been expecting her best friend to jump right to accusations. 

"Answer me! What, did you sneak off while I slept? I know your brother's involved in that rebel shit but I didn't think you were too!"

"I'm not!" Kota finally snapped. "I didn't do that, Roh, you know me!"

"I really want to believe you, but I think I believe my own eyes more. You're the only firebender with green flames in this town, or the next town, or the next one. You realize how this looks, right?"

"Roh--" But no more words were coming out anyway.

"It's not that I don't trust you as my friend, really, I trust you, but that's pretty damning evidence!" Roh calmed down enough to take in her friend's broken expression. Desperate and scared. "Maybe… maybe you did it in your sleep or something."

Kota's hands were shaking. Roh finally let go of her wrist and it dropped into a tense curl like her other hand. "Why don't you believe me?" The skin around her eyes and the tip of her nose turned red, stinging tears ready to fall.

"I…" Roh felt like she couldn't breathe for half a second. "I told you, I want to. But the fire…"

Kota finally gained some strength in her words. "Is it possible there's another green firebender in the entire world? Is it possible something that was burning was making it green? Why do you go right to accusing me instead of trying to find another answer?"

It made Roh think for a moment. "Well… it's highly implausible that another green firebender just showed up this morning and burnt up the zoo with green and left. Isn't it?"

"I don't know. I don't know what it looks like to you but I know I didn't do it!" She started to go more on the offensive, taking back a little control of the conversation. 

Finally, a mood Roh could respond to. "How  _ do _ you know you didn't do it? We were drunk out of our minds last night!"

"You think I don't remember last night at all? Maybe I don't, considering you were ready to let that komodo rhino kill us even though you could have airbent it away. You almost got us both killed because you were too cat-chickenshit, so maybe I did just imagine the airbending part last night." She stepped close and pushed her hands lightly against Roh's shoulders, remembering how close they were to dying just a few short moments ago, hoping a little shake might knock some sense into her.

"Don't put your hands on me!" Roh stepped back.

"Don't try to  _ kill _ us again!"

Roh took another step back and bumped into an old shelf. A glass bottle fell to the floor and made a harsh, musical sound as the neck snapped off and the bottle rolled to a new resting place.

"Watch it, this isn't ours!" Roh said.

"Watch what!? You did that!"

"Because you're cornering me!"

"Yeah watch out, I might just set this whole building on fire, and the whole town for that matter! Because that's suddenly my new hobby, according to you." Kota snapped her hand out and shoved another empty bottle onto the floor without looking. It shattered.

Roh felt sick realizing they were definitely fighting now. Kota was the only one she couldn't stand to fight with. "You know what it looks like, and you know most people are probably thinking you did it right now."

"I've stuck by you through thick and thin, why can't you do the same for me? At least act like you believe me until we figure this out! Who else am I supposed to count on?" She wasn't defending anymore so much as she was grasping for something to hold on to.

"I get that you didn't do it on purpose, so will you agree to go to the police with me and confess that you  _ might've _ had something to do with it? Before they come drag you away like a criminal?"

"Don't you see where that goes? They'll never believe me, they'll wanna say they caught the guy responsible as soon as possible and lock me away! Half the guys in prison aren't guilty of everything they charge them with. Who knows what the penalty for burning down a zoo is!?"

The room was heating up from the firebender-generated anger emanating from both their bodies.

"Kota! Don't you see where  _ this _ is going!?" Roh gestured to the broken glass on the floor, the one Kota had just broken on purpose. "Can't you see how quickly you resort to violence here? This isn't the Kota I know either! Getting drunk at work? Throwing bottles off a shelf? Maybe you've changed! Maybe you should take a look at  _ that _ , because sometimes you really do act like--" Roh caught herself. But the words were already there, even if they weren't spoken.

There was silence for a moment while both their chests rose and fell, their breathing catching up to their words.

"Like who?" Kota challenged, but her voice was deflated. Then the spark came back. "You think this is what he does? Breaks bottles? That's cute. You don't know what it means to be  _ "cornered." _ "

Roh bent over a little and braced her palms on her knees, feeling like she actually might vomit. Fighting with Kota makes her physically nauseous, and the hangover was threatening to put her over the edge. She swallowed hard, but by the time she looked up Kota was halfway up the stairs.

"Wait! Where are you going?"

"Home."

"The buzzard wasps--"

"I don't give a fuck."

"Don't you dare go out there!" Roh had to stop on the stairs and swallow a few more times, forcing the bile back down. The fact that the whole building smelled like old bog juice certainly didn't help.

She heard the door open. "Kota!"

~//~


	6. Secret

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Roh returns home to her twin sister, Maita

Roh collapsed in the silence, finally giving in and heaving into an old bucket on the ground. By the time she regained her senses, she noted that the sirens had stopped. She staggered up and carried the bucket to the door, daring a peek outside.

The streets were silent. The sun shone in a clear blue sky as if it hadn't just witnessed a near-apocalypse in the city. She stepped toward the woods to dump the contents of the bucket into the bushes, then turned back toward the street.

A buzzard wasp lay in the middle of the road with a red feathered dart sticking out its rump. She didn't know if it was lethal poison or a sedative, but she didn't wanna stick around to find out. Stepping into the street, she looked around briefly for her friend.

Nothing but empty streets.

Feeling much better after vomiting, she jogged through the streets and down the paths to her own house, noting several other kinds of animals lying motionless with feathered darts. She thanked spirits that the city's emergency management team had all these darts at the ready.

Things were a little busier near her house. Several parents were running toward the daycare, no doubt worried sick about their children.

Roh entered through the back door, hoping to not attract any attention, but she wasn't gonna get away that easily.

"Roh-Shan, my baby!" Her mother ran over, catching the attention of her father and grandmother too. "Oh, spirits I was so worried when you didn't come home! Where on earth were you all night?"

"And all day." Her grandmother added, standing in the doorway between the house and daycare, watching over the few children who hadn't been picked up yet.

"Oh uh, I went camping with some friends up to the hot springs, and we were hiking all day. I thought I told you yesterday I was going out with Paulo and them." Roh lied, trying to recall her words from yesterday to make it more believable. Lies usually came very easily for her.

"Oh, maybe you did tell me that…" Her mother shook her head. "I'm just glad you're home. Fix your hair, I hope nobody saw you like that."

With the interrogation over, Roh tugged at her hair and walked down the hall to her bedroom.

~

Roh shut the door and flopped down on her bed, giving up on her hair for the moment as a headache crept in.

Maita sat on her own bed on the other side of the small room, picking at her fingernails. She glanced up at Roh without raising her head. "Where were _ you _ ?"

"Camping." Roh said quietly, even though her sister can always tell when she's lying.

"For real. What the hell were you and Kota doing all night?"

Roh's breath caught. "H…how did you know I was with her?"

"Well, you just confirmed it."

Roh let out her breath. "So?"

"You know what everyone's gonna think, right?"

Roh's head snapped to her sister. "What think… who's gonna think?" she stumbled. "Think about what? We were just hanging out--"

"About the  _ fire _ , you idiot. Soon as word gets out, everyone's gonna think you helped her set it. Definitely seems like something you'd do, but Kota…"

"I didn't do it, neither did she."

Maita could read that she was telling the truth.

"Fair enough, but someone's gonna have to explain the green fire."

The little fragment of fantasy in Roh's mind that maybe she'd just imagined the color of the fire, shattered. "How did you hear it was green?" She asked solemnly.

"I get around." Maita gave a nod, "What, you think I just sit here and pick my nails all day?"

"No, just  _ most _ of the day."

That earned Roh a pillow to the face.

She laid back on her bed, for the first time allowing herself to fully recall the events of last night. The drinking, the fall, the airbending, the crying… she mentally kicked herself for yelling at Kota, who had been so gentle with her the night before. Oh, and the cuddling. The  _ grounding. _ That sounded a lot more accurate. That memory felt like something… secretive. A warm memory that was hers to hold onto and would be somehow tainted if anyone else knew. Then she remembered something else Kota said last night.

Roh sat up. "Hey."

"What." Maita grumbled absently. She had picked up a small sheet of parchment and was precariously balancing a tiny ink pot on the window ledge, drawing something with a small brush.

"Have you um," Roh tried to be casual. "Like, done anything weird or cool or like…"

Maita slowly turned her head and raised one eyebrow in condescending confusion.

"I mean, like found any new abilities… with bending?"

Maita frowned. "Like what?"

"Like, when you bend fire does it ever… come out as just a puff of air or something?"

"Nooo…"

"Or have you… moved… the ground?" Roh was trying to be as roundabout as possible but she's not good with synonyms. Or subtlety.

"Are you asking me if I've been earthbending?"

"Ha! No, why? Have you?" Roh instantly knew her voice gave away that something was up.

"No." Maita said firmly. "Have  _ you?" _

"No!" It was the truth, to be fair.

Unfortunately, both girls could read each other all too well by now. "What about that "puff of air"? Have you done that?"

"No." Roh knew Maita could instantly tell she was lying. "Well, ha, I mean yes, like I meant to firebend and only smoke came out, I'm a little out of practice. It was embarrassing, really."

Maita couldn't believe she was about to ask such a ridiculous question, but she did anyway, just to show her sister how ridiculous she was being. "Roh-Shan. Did  _ you _ airbend?"

Roh swallowed a lump in her throat. She could've just started laughing. Maita can't tell she's lying if she doesn't say anything. But part of her was a little guilty that her twin sister wasn't the first person she told. Above all else, she could trust family more than anyone, right?

"No." Roh said.

Maita stared at her, dropping her brush in disbelief.

~//~


	7. Scam Alley

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some boy in an alley tries to scam Kota

The streets were empty, save for the occasional buzzard wasp carcass. And the air was still thick with the mixed scent of various things burning at once. It smelled a bit like corn. The bright afternoon sun still shone, though the smoke-tainted air was starting to drift down towards the bay.

As soon as Kota was out of the bar, she quickly scanned for another building to hide in, before realizing the wasps were down and the shelter-in-place siren had stopped. Small white flakes of ash fluttered through the air and landed on her skin and hair. She heard Roh call after her and decided her next move was to hide, fast.

She ducked around the first corner and slipped into the back alleys, planning a roundabout path to get home and avoid the main streets. She was also afraid anyone might see her and connect the dots about the fire.

She forced her mind to suppress the thought that her best friend had just completely betrayed her. Despite trying to keep any part of the last conversation from coming to mind, she felt tears sting her eyes anyway. She wiped hard at her eyes. Why is she crying if she hasn't even thought about it yet?  _ Turn off, brain. _ Focus on something else. Like that rock on the ground.

It was no use. No matter how hard she  _ didn't _ think about that, sourceless tears fell anyway. They kept coming and blurred her vision until it was actually impairing her ability to walk straight. At the next small alley between buildings, she stopped and ducked into the shadow, leaning against the building until the tears would pass.

"Feeling down?" A voice came from further down the alley.

Kota jumped, her brain so used to pumping adrenaline to a body that didn't use it. She saw it was just a boy and tried hard to settle down again, pissed that this kid had startled her like that. She fought through the wave of dizziness that usually follows a shot of adrenaline.

"Try your luck at cups! I raise you one copper bit, first wager." The boy flipped a cheap clay cup in his hand, and kicked a small blue marble with his foot, catching it in the cup. "I'll also take wagers in the form of food."

"Shut up." Kota grumbled, trying to regain her composure enough to keep walking.

"Find the marble, one in three chance of winning! Unless, of course, your eyes move faster than I move the cups." His tone was chipper but his voice sounded a little weathered, despite the youthful charm.

She finally looked back at the boy again and realized his ploy. He probably convinced a lot of people to play his game, thinking they had the upper hand, literally, considering the boy has no right arm.

"One copper bit?" He offered again.

"I don't have any money." She said. "Why don't you get a real job?"

"Still in school." He grinned innocently.

She took a closer look at him. "Hey, don't you go to my school? What was… Raider? Or something?"

"The name's  _ Haider. _ " He emphasized, taking personal offense. "Yeah. And aren't you the girl the bends green fire?"

Kota swore under her breath. Apparently a lot more people knew about her than she'd thought. "You're a little young to be swindling people on the streets."

"Fifteen. About to graduate. I was only one year behind you, remember?"

"So again, why are you out on the street trying to get money and food? Why don't you just go home?" Kota remembered him, he was one of the kids who lived up at the orphanage. Her family's taxes paid for his meals, so he should be grateful for every bit his guardians gave him. She narrowed her eyes, daring him to bring up the orphan thing so she could shoot it down.

He flipped the cup again. "Why don't  _ you _ just go home?"

She opened her mouth to say she  _ was _ headed home, but the words didn't come. He wouldn't have said that if he didn't know she had a reason not to go home, somehow.

"I see we've reached a stalemate." He smiled like it was funny.

A comeback was on the tip of her tongue when suddenly the light from the main road darkened, and a creature nearly as tall as the buildings themselves thundered through the street and turned right down the alley they were in, fear in its eyes.

The boy took cover behind a trash bin as the blue and white wolf barreled down the way-too-narrow alley, its webbed paw nearly missing Kota, who stood frozen in fear.

Beyond the alley, the wolf dashed over the wall separating the town from the forest, and took off into the trees.

Shouting voices from the main road grew louder, following the path of the wolf.

Kota and Haider briefly made eye contact one last time, before they both took off away from the street. Haider jumped the wall and dashed into the woods, while Kota continued her previous path through the winding backstreets, headed for home.

~//~


	8. Kota's Family

Even from outside, the small one-story house looked and felt like a cage.

It wasn't terribly small by the neighborhood standards, since it had to fit all twelve children that were raised within its walls. But person-per-square-foot wise, it was even smaller than the orphanage. 

Kota quietly opened the door in case the baby was asleep, but the giggly squeal from her youngest sister in the living room told her it was later than she thought. If the baby was up from her nap, but the kids weren't home from school yet, that put the time somewhere between late afternoon and early evening. Great, practically already time to go to work tomorrow.

She walked silently past the kitchen where her mother was adding something to a pot on the stove, and tried to slip right to the girls bedroom at the end of the hall without being noticed.

As she passed the open door of the boys room, a small pebble struck her head. She instinctively reached up to touch where it hit, and bent down to pick up the small rock. She stepped into the boys room, not even having to look at where she was throwing the rock to know it would hit Dagon right on the head back.

"Thanks." Dagon put the rock back on the dresser next to his bed, where he was reclined casually. 

"Did you want something?" She folded her arms.

"Yeah. Shut the door for a sec."

She glanced back, noticing the other four beds were empty, most of the kids weren't home yet. She pushed the door closed. It wasn't uncommon for her and Dagon to talk privately, even if it was just a casual conversation, so Kota wasn't too concerned yet. Being the two oldest in the house since Kenja moved out, they didn't relate well to the younger kids. A divide which was only emphasized by their father. He often singled them out for blame, but never the younger kids. He would never hurt one of his own. To him, Kota, Dagon, and Kenja were outsiders. All three of them from their mother's previous relationship, with a man their stepfather had never even known yet still despised. It didn't help that their biological father was a firebender, and their mother and stepfather weren't, so Kota and Dagon were the only firebenders of the family.

Complete outsiders in their own family. 

"What'd you want?" She demanded, sitting on the end of his bed.

"Where's your bags?" He said, annoyingly cryptic.

"What are you talking about."

"You're leaving town before dad gets home, right? If not it's your funeral." He shrugged, like he wouldn't care her decision either way. "Once he finds out about the green fire? I'm not sure exactly how much dishonor someone brings to their family by burning down a zoo, but I'm gonna say it tips the scales."

"I didn't do it!" She was tired of saying that today. "If anything, it was probably your little rebel friends trying to frame me!"

He sat up straighter, lowering his voice. "Shh! Look, it wasn't the rebels, okay? It was nowhere in our plans, and besides, nobody even knows how to make green fire!"

She still could come up with no answer. She locked eyes with him. "You know it wasn't me, right?"

For a brief moment, his dark eyes flickered in understanding. Then he looked away. "Hey, if you wanna stick around for dad's reaction, be my guest."

She felt like she was gonna cry again, but didn't think there were any tears left at this point.

"Kota!" Her mother's voice yelled from the kitchen, "Come set the table for dinner!"

To avoid crying again, Kota forced her attention away from her older brother and left the room without a word.

~

In the kitchen, Kota paid close attention to each bowl and spoon she set around the table, trying again to force her brain not to think about anything else. It was almost effective, but then…

"Where were you last night, hon?" Her mother asked, facing the stove.

"Um… well I stayed at--"

"That's nice, could you hand me a towel?" She cut her off, reaching a hand out behind her expectantly as a little bit of the soup overflowed and sizzled as it reached the flames below. 

Kota had been hoping to avoid the question, so why did that feel like a punch in the gut? She picked up a nearby towel and placed it in her mother's hand. She waited for her mother to ask again, or realize she hadn't gotten a real answer the first time and pretend to care.

The moment to ask again passed, and then another moment, and then another. Kota waited quietly before coming to the conclusion that her mother didn't even know she was still in the kitchen.

Just then the front door burst open and three kids ran in, throwing their schoolbags on the floor and screaming with unspent energy as they clambered into the living room, continuing some chasing game they must've been playing on the walk home. The other three walked in next, too old for childish games like that. Two of Kota's half-sisters, age 13 and 14, gossiped quietly about boys in school, and her 11-year-old half-brother followed them silently through the door.

If Kota had to pick a favorite of her younger siblings, it would be Jaso. He had the quiet demeanor of Dagon, but with a lot more sympathetic, caring curiosity. When he was younger, he always wanted to help when Kota was sad after their father got mad about something. He always came to check on her and offered the only thing he knew how to do, bring her a cup of water. He used to think that really helped, even when Dagon told him to buzz off, and that being sad was an "older kid thing".

Jaso was sweet and innocent. But ever since he turned eleven, his innocence had been taken over by something darker. He was coming to the realization that dad "yelling" at her and Dagon was a bit more than just yelling. And that being "sad" meant they were hurt. His sweet, caring disposition became his downfall into that darker side. Realizing what had been happening all these years, and knowing he hadn't done anything and still couldn't do anything to stop it. That might've made anyone else feel bad, but to Jaso, it was crushing guilt.

Kota wished he would look at her with the same innocent eyes he used to, but they were gone.

She tried to smile at him as he walked past, but he didn't see it. All she got was the white star pattern on the back of his black shirt as he disappeared into the boys' room. 

A few moments later, their father strode through the door and plopped two small sacks on the table; the bread to go with their soup. Being a baker's assistant really comes in handy when you have thirteen mouths to feed. And as always the scent of sweet bread from the shop followed him through the door.

Kota froze, waiting tensely to see if her father knew about the fire yet. He could be hard to read, especially when he was mad about something you didn't even know you did yet. The quieter he was about it, the more mad he was.

He walked toward the living room, briefly making eye contact with Kota before quickly looking away. Fresh coldness washed through her veins the second their eyes met. But he brushed past her without a word.

Either she was in the clear or she was about to get murdered.

~

Dinner was always an event. They'd never gotten through one dinner with every kid managing to stay in their seat. Somebody always fell off the chair and started crying, or somebody rolled off to make the other kids laugh, or somebody slipped under the table to grab feet. It was a real circus.

Kota waited for one of these inevitable distractions. Her leg bounced under the table nervously. Dagon sat next to her, equally tense but better at hiding it.

"So," Their mother started, and Kota let out a sigh of relief. As long as her mother is talking, it'll keep the subject at bay--

"You guys hear about the zoo fire?" Their father blurted.

So much for that.

"The what? I heard the siren." Their mother looked surprised.

"I did! I heard about the fire!" One of the younger kids shouted, thrilled to know something their mom didn't. "I know what happened!" He stood up on his chair and waved his arms, spoon still in hand sending a spray of stew across the table.

"Butt in your chair." Their mother directed.

The kid sat back down, and his sister next to him flicked stew back at him.

"Yeah," Their father continued. "Zoo caught fire. All the animals escaped."

"No they didn't!" The 13-year-old said. "Some of them died--"

"They died!?" One of the younger girls squealed in horror.

" _ No, _ all of them escaped." Their dad said firmly, glaring at the teen.

The family ate in silence for another minute.

Unable to stand the tension any longer, Kota noted her exits and sucked in a breath to ask, "Did you see it?"

He raised his head to look at her.

She suddenly felt lightheaded.

Dagon kicked her foot to stop her leg from bouncing.

"Yeah, everyone saw it." He said.

The younger kids were in awe.

"Was it big!"

"Did you feel it!?"

"Did it go BOOOWSHWAAAAPOOF!"

Kota and Dagon didn't hear any of them. He silently scooted his chair away from her a little, giving her room, and she braced her foot on the side of her chair to leap for the door if need be.

"I went out to look at it during my break. I could see the orange glow all the way from work." Their father added.

Dagon and Kota simultaneously released a breath. He hadn't really seen it, he was just making it up.

~//~


	9. Water Wolf

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Haider follows the wolf into the woods

The setting sun casted long, jumbled shadows across the forest floor. Haider stayed close to the shore for as long as he could while the sun was still out. Thankfully, the wolf had the same idea.

He'd recognized the wolf from a trip to the zoo a few years ago. It had been just a cub then, but it was his favorite animal at the zoo. Separated from its family at a young age. Haider felt a connection to it.

All grown up now, the animal stood nearly 7 feet high at its shoulder, its head and neck easily adding another 4 feet. Light blue fur covered his back, tail and shoulders, as if a blanket had been draped over him. It extended a little down each leg, most of the way around his neck, and one darker blue stripe down his forehead. The rest of the fur was white, fluffier around the chest. Those distinct colors, plus the webbed paws, scales around his nose and eyes, small fins on his elbows, forked tail, and gills on his neck, marked him as a purebred Water Wolf.

Now, with patches of fur missing from small burns, prickers and leaves stuck to him, exhausted and hungry, the wolf had trekked nearly 3 miles through the woods and found a small cave next to the shore, deciding to settle in for the night. 

After noting where the wolf had taken refuge, Haider set off in search of food. Expertly picking around the poisonous berries and nuts and selecting the edible ones, he gathered them in his shirt until the little pouch he'd made was overflowing, and eventually came to a familiar tree. He carefully dumped his pickings at the base of the tree, and scaled it with impressive speed considering his disability.

High up in the tree, a small sack sat nestled among a clustering of branches, tied to one of them by its drawstring, right where he'd left it. Haider untied it and looped it over his shoulder, climbing back down with expertise that comes with having done this many times before.

He slid down a root and dropped onto the packed dirt. The sun had fully set by now and the last traces of light were disappearing fast. He quickly stashed the nuts and berries in the sack before the predators could come out, and took off back towards the cave near the shore.

The wolf was right where he'd left him. Haider climbed a rocky hill nearby to observe the wolf for a while, trying to figure out the best way to get food to him without scaring the animal or putting himself in danger.

After a short stakeout, Haider figured the best plan was to just approach it straight on from afar, giving the wolf ample time to notice him and react.

He pulled two half-gourds from the sack, filled one with fresh water from a nearby creek, and the other with some of the nuts and berries he'd collected.

The boy lifted the bowl of water with his left hand, and with no more free hands, turned to his right side, focusing hard on the ground. He shrugged his right shoulder a few times, working out the muscles. Then, loose rocks skittered across the ground and rose to meet his shoulder, lining themselves up in the perfect shape of an arm, albeit, more muscular than his left one. Focusing, he lifted the bowl of nuts and berries with his new rock arm, and started off across the rocky ground leading up to the cave, uneven dips and crevices in the rocks raising to meet his feet.

~

The wolf saw him approaching, and grew defensive at first. When the boy stepped up to the mouth of the cave, the only exit, he crouched, lowered his tail and growled.

But the boy set down one gourd of water on the ground, dumped some nuts and berries from the other next to it, and carefully walked away, coming to rest in a nearby rock crevice, his right arm dropping away.

Haider watched the wolf for a reaction. It took nearly 20 minutes for the wolf to trust, but finally he drank the water in one slurp and picked at the tiny nuts and berries. Not exactly a wolf's diet, but Haider was pretty sure wolves were hunters, not scavengers, so presenting him with a dead animal wouldn't be too logical.

When the wolf had finished, Haider slowly approached, taking the same path he had before. This time, the wolf didn't growl. He watched the boy with suspicion, ears turned forward, but less defensive than before. Haider reached the mouth of the cave, holding his palm up to show he meant no harm, the sack slung around his shoulder.

Up close though, he realized just how big the animal was, and how easily he could get ripped to shreds. Less than 10 feet from the animal now, he became hyperaware of every little sound around him, and stayed on the balls of his feet, ready to turn and run. He also curled his fingers slightly, still an open palm but ready to raise a wall of earth if need be.

Five feet away… three feet…

To Haider's surprise, the wolf extended his snout the last few feet to meet his hand. The boy froze as the wolf sniffed it. He sniffed up Haider's arm and then his teeth were inches from Haider's face. He could only stay frozen and pray it ended quickly.

A rough shove knocked Haider out of his frozen fear, as the wolf nudged his scaled snout under the boy's arm, asking to be pet.

Haider let out a quiet, relieved laugh as he rubbed the animal's nose, which it gladly nuzzled into. Of course. This wasn't a wild beast, this was an animal raised in captivity, about as domesticated as a wild animal could get.

After a few minutes of scratches, the wolf was still eyeing Haider carefully. He slowly moved along the animal's side, and reached for a large pricker that had gotten stuck there.

As soon as he touched it, the wolf recoiled sharply, a small growl escaping again, but Haider moved quickly and pulled it out, relieving the animal of the uncomfortable needle in its skin. Thankfully, wolves were on the smarter end of the animal spectrum, and soon understood that what the boy was doing was helpful.

Haider worked his way around the animal, pulling prickers out and brushing leaves and smaller pine needles away, gently stroking the wolf's fur as he went. He noticed old scars marring one side of the wolf's left ear.

After pulling out all the prickers and brushing most of the dirt from the animal's fur with his fingers, Haider had one more trick up his sleeve. He opened the sack and produced a small tin of medicinal healing cream. He dipped his fingers in and held his hand up for the wolf to smell first. Then he carefully rubbed it onto a burn on the animal's shoulder. He knew the cream felt especially good on burns, with its cooling properties. After treating all the burns he could see, Haider closed the tin and placed it back in the sack, leaning against the cave wall.

The stars were out now, the waves lapping gently at the shore, with a chilly breeze coming off the ocean. Haider shivered and pulled his tunic closer around him, bringing his knees to his chest, and settled in to sleep.

After a long time of listening to the breeze and the waves, the wolf stood halfway and turned around to place his back at the mouth of the cave. One webbed paw reached out and pulled the boy's sleeping, shivering form into the cover of the wolf's insulating fur.

~//~


	10. Mayor's Palace

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mayor Odei learns of the attack on the rebels. It seems like he might have a change of heart...

Roaring red-orange flames filled the massive fireplace, illuminating the center of the room in erratic flickers, leaving the dark corners untouched. Odei sat in his reading chair as he does every evening, feet resting on an ottoman, with a book in hand, sipping his bedtime tea.

Bound books were a luxury, and he had plenty of them. Many acquired during his travels, mainly given to him as gifts from other leaders around the Fire Nation and Earth Kingdom. He'd never really taken an interest in them, but his wife had been an avid reader, and she collected scriptures from the water tribes and air temples as well.

Now that he's been absorbing book after book for a few months, he wonders why he never took time to enjoy them before she died. An attack on the Earth King's boat by rebel forces of the Earth Kingdom nearly a year ago had taken her from him, because she'd been unable to swim. Since then, he'd made it his goal to absorb every piece of information in the books she'd collected, longing to see the world as she had. And he was. The more he learned about the world, the more he second-guessed the way he'd been ruling his city all these years. Nearly halfway through her book collection, he was already forgetting the details of the very first books, and couldn't wait to go back and enjoy them all over again.

A soft rapping at the door drew his attention away from his thoughts. The three knocks told him it was from his long-trusted butler, who moments later, stepped through the door. He bowed to Odei.

"What is it?" Mayor Odei asked.

"The General of your Police Force is here to see you." He stepped aside.

"Let him in."

General Suley walked in with the measured steps of a soldier. He stopped ten feet from Odei and bowed. "I bring you news from our ground forces in one of the rural villages. They put down an uprising attempt last night."

"Very good." Odei clasped his hands together.

"That chapter of the Black Iris has been wiped out."

"Wait," Odei paused, "what do you mean wiped out?"

"They have been killed. Every Black Iris member that attended last night's secret meeting will no longer be a threat, our police forces guarantee." General Suley's strict face slipped up in a small smile for a moment. Odei wasn't looking.

"Oh… I didn't know they would be using lethal force--"

"As you instructed, sir. The rebel forces are violent and must be met with violence. You instructed us to take no prisoners." Suley made sure to use the term  _ rebels _ , still a sensitive subject for the Mayor.

Odei didn't remember saying the take-no-prisoners part, but he trusted his general.

The butler dared pitch in, "Mayor sir, remember the Black Iris rebels are not the rebels that attacked your--"

"Who invited you to speak!?" General Suley turned and challenged, fire in his eyes.

"My apologies, Mayor." The butler made sure to not address Suley, and left quickly.

Odei thought it over. "General, if there is another Black Iris uprising, I think it's best we hold them for information rather than killing them outright. They could lead us to more--"

"All due respect, Mayor, I trust that our men on the ground are handling this in the most appropriate way, considering they're the ones out there, not you."

"I understand, Suley, I'm not asking you to spare all of them, but as your commanding officer I'm instructing you not to kill--"

"How about we discuss this in the morning over breakfast?" Suley made sure to start his sentence loud enough to cover up what Odei was saying and force him to stop. "It's late, you've already had your bedtime tea and might not be thinking clearly."

Odei narrowed his eyes at his general, not in anger, but analyzing. What was his angle here? He knew something was up. "Alright. We'll discuss this in the morning." He stood, leaving his empty teacup and saucer on the side table and clutching his book close to his chest. He walked swiftly past the general and out the door.

~

As usual, the day had been draining. Odei shut his bedroom door and climbed into the grand canopy bed he used to share with his wife. Her side of the bed still perfectly made. After his initial grieving period, he'd taken up reading and had been able to get completely lost in her books, finally able to shut out that overwhelming grief and he immersed himself and found joy once more. But as time wore on, he realized he couldn’t do this forever. The guilt of ignoring his city had begun to weigh on him, making every day exhausting even when he didn't do anything but read.

Sighing, he set the book down on his wife's side of the bed. He knew he'd have to start paying attention to his city again soon. And with fresh world perspectives, he finally felt ready to do that.

He blew out the light, closed his eyes, and let his mind wander to faraway lands and tales, both fictional and real, swirled in his head, ready to enrich his dreams once more.

He thought he hadn't fallen asleep yet, but he must have, because when he opened his eyes again, his bedroom was in flames.

Wide awake now, fire seemed to have reached every flammable surface in the room, which, considering the stone structure, were mainly décor. By design, a fire shouldn't be any threat to anyone within the palace. Tapestries on the walls appeared to shrivel as they turned to ash. The rug was smoldering. And the light fabric draped over the canopy --right above his head-- was completely ablaze.

Odei sat up straight. Well, his brain sent the signals to do that, but his body didn't answer. He frantically sent more signals to his fingers, toes,  _ anything, _ but he couldn't move anything but his eyelids. He had a perfect view of the canopy fabric as it fell onto his bed, catching the blankets and pillows on fire. He inhaled smoke but his body couldn't even reflexively cough.

He stopped trying to fight, forcing his imagination to transport him far away, as the pure green flames washed over his body.

~//~


	11. Mourning

Roh-Shan knew she was awake before she opened her eyes. She was exhausted and hesitant to start her day with screaming children she didn't care about. She heard the tea kettle in the kitchen and knew she would feel guilty for oversleeping if she waited any longer.

Finally resigning to starting the day, she opened her eyes to an unfamiliar sight. It only took a few seconds of re-orienting herself to realize why. She was on Maita's bed. Memories of last night returned in flashes: Maita finding out she was the Avatar, more of Roh crying about it, having to explain why she thought it was a bad thing, Maita unsuccessfully trying to airbend, staying up late sitting on Maita's bed talking about so many things… and she realized she must've fallen asleep on her bed too.

Roh rolled herself off the bed and pulled her day clothes out of a drawer, noting Maita must already be in the kitchen.

Trying to rub exhaustion out of her eyes, she finished dressing and walked out into the kitchen.

It was an odd sight, and something was definitely off. Despite it being fully daylight out, there were no kids in the playroom, and both her parents sat at the table, stone faced, looking down at their tea.

Her father raised his head when she walked in. Maita sat next to him, looking like she'd gotten in trouble.

"Dad, why aren't you at work yet? It's already--"

"Have a seat, Roh-Shan." He gestured to her normal spot at the table.

Hesitantly, still unable to get a read on the room, she pulled out her chair and sat. "What's going on?" She demanded.

"Mayor Odei died last night." Her mother said matter-of-factly. "The city is observing a day of mourning."

"Oh. Wow. Do they know what happened?"

Her mother went oddly silent.

"Wait, Dad, why aren't you at the palace for emergency procedure?" She knew all the city officials had detailed plans and specific roles for exactly this type of event.

"Honey. I need to ask you something." He said.

She got a sick feeling in her stomach even though she didn't know what this was about yet. Every clue in the room was telling her she was in trouble, though she had no idea-- Maita! She jerked her head toward her sister. She'd told them about the Avatar thing, even after Roh had  _ specifically _ begged her not to. And especially to tell them without her there!?

That line of thought was cut short as Maita caught her eyes and gave her head the slightest shake, making her hair sway. Her eyes told Roh that wasn't it.

Their dad looked awkward and uncomfortable, yet held his stiff upright position that he only uses at work and in front of other officials. He seemed to ponder his words. Finally, he looked at Roh and asked gently, "Where is Kota?"

Roh's heart sank. She was terrified it would have something to do with the zoo fire, but didn't expect him to be so blunt about it.

"She had nothing to do with the zoo fire, believe me, I was with her all night, she wasn't--"

"Roh-Shan. This isn't about the zoo fire."

And  _ that's  _ when it hit. Two-and-two slid together like perfect puzzle pieces. Roh could barely hear her own voice as she said, "The mayor?"

Her father gave a solemn nod. "There was a fire at the palace last night. Just like the zoo, the flames were unmistakably green."

At that moment, their front door opened and several officers of the Police Force stepped in, their tall presence a clear threat.

Her father looked apologetic. "I know this is hard for you. But she's not at home, and I'm sure you understand we need to question her. You're her closest friend so you must know where she might hide out. I'll ask you again. Where is Kota?"

~//~


	12. Ghost Town

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kota didn't get the message about the mayor and explores an abandoned town, but is soon interrupted, and betrayed.

The sound of footsteps and distant voices on the street jolted Kota awake. Realizing it was just a few guys on the street and not a threat, she squinted in the hot sun and looked up at the barn door. Still locked, still no Buwei or Paulo or Ashoka or Mani. Nobody. She should be well into the workday by now. Where the hell is everyone?

She'd gotten exactly zero minutes of sleep last night. Roh's words stuck with her,  _ maybe you set the fire in your sleep _ , and she thought of that as she lay in bed last night. She'd taken one look at her sleeping sisters in the room with her, and decided for everyone's safety, she would just stay up all night, to make sure she couldn't do anything.

The thing that  _ kept _ her awake though, was the thought that her father actually had seen the green fire and was going to come in the room at any minute and drag her away for bringing dishonor on the family. Actually, she had the whole night to picture how that would go down. The most comforting scenario involved him dragging her to the cliffs and shoving her into the ocean, and telling everyone she jumped. A nice quick, scenic death and a good excuse that everyone except for Roh and Dagon would buy.

Then she thought about what that might do to Jaso, and everything became a mess again. There was no easy way to do anything, was there?

At the first hint of dawn, she'd put on her work clothes and left the house, planning to arrive well before anyone else and nap against the side of the barn. And she did just that. Except now, it was already mid-morning and still nobody was here.

The dew from the grass around her had evaporated, and while it had been cold earlier, now the sun on her face was almost unbearable, and she was pretty sure her cheeks were sunburned too.

She stood up and brushed the grass off her uniform, daring to step toward the street to see who she'd heard. The street should be busy by now but it was desolate, so hearing people around at least gave her a little comfort.

Two men in armored police uniforms walked down the street, chatting casually.

The police.

Kota quickly realized there was a high probability they were looking for her from the zoo fire yesterday. By the time she turned to run back behind the barn though, it was too late.

"Hey, kid!"

She stopped but didn't turn around, as if they had any way of knowing her face.

"What're you doing out?"

"Just going to work." She heard their footsteps grow nearer, and realized facing away was making her seem more suspicious. She turned and smiled at them.

They stopped. "There's no work today, didn't you hear?" One of them said.

"Hear what?"

"Day of mourning." The other one said. "Mayor Odei died last night. Big fire at the palace."

Kota's jaw dropped.

"I take it she didn't know." The first guy said.

"Didn't your parents tell you?"

"Man, be nice, maybe she's from the orphanage, so nobody told her."

All her defenses up, Kota instinctively responded to the last thing she heard. She hated the thought of being lumped in with the  _ orphan _ kids. "My parents weren't awake yet when I left." She said clearly.

"Oh. Well, go home. Day off."

She nodded, and they continued on their way. The second they were far enough down the road, Kota sprinted toward the other side of the street, headed to the woods. She didn't even want to think about the likelihood of the second major fire in two days being related to each other, and therefore possibly tying her to the  _ death of the mayor. _

She reached the wall separating the village from the woods, and leaped up to grab the top ledge and climb over, but a strong hand firmly grabbed her ankle and yanked her back down to the street.

She landed facedown in the dirt and her chest hurt as another wave of adrenaline and dizziness slammed her, this time justified though.

A different police officer, much larger than the other two, stood over her with a club in hand, and three more officers flanked him.

"Where do you think you're going?"

Before she could say anything, he kicked her shoulder and rolled her over onto her back. He looked back over to his fellow officers. A lanky boy stood with them, pointing at her with one arm. Her eyes went wide.

"Yeah, that's her. She's got the green fire." Haider said.

~//~


	13. Interrogation

"Look, kid. We just need you to say it, for the record."

Roh sat in a collapsible chair at a small table, facing three police officers. The green fabric tent was crudely set up, and a worn-out mat covered the trampled grass beneath them.

"I don't know for sure. That's what you can put on the record, because that's the truth. Are you trying to get me to lie?" She was surprised by her own bravery. It probably stemmed from the fact that she'd never really been afraid or intimidated by the police force, since her dad worked for the mayor. And even now, she knew they wouldn't hurt the daughter of a councilman. Now she'd been told they have Kota in custody but she's refusing to firebend. Roh's pretty sure they can't hold her without evidence.

"Everyone says you've been best friends with her for years. We don't believe for one  _ second _ that you don't know if she bends green fire or not. You'd think that'd kinda be something you remember, huh?" He was playing tough guy, she'd give him that.

"Exactly. Don't you think it would be something I remember, if I saw it? And here I am telling you I don't remember." She should definitely be afraid of them now, and she recalled Maita once telling her that her lack of appropriate fear was stupid and a hindrance, not a strength.

"You expect me to believe you, a firebender, have never seen your  _ best friend, _ another firebender, bend fire? Ever? I know your type, you prissy firebending teenage girls  _ love _ to show off."

Roh was pretty sure he was confusing teenage girls with teenage boys, but she let it slide. "Yes, sir. That's what I'm saying. Her father banned her from firebending, so she really doesn't do it anywhere."

The man slammed his hands on the table, startling Roh. "You think you don't have to talk to me because your daddy works for the mayor, huh?" He said in a mock-whiny voice. He dropped back to his normal aggressive tone. "Mayor's gone, kid. And soldiers from the capital are on their way. Your daddy ain't got any leverage against the Fire Military."

"And I'll tell them the same thing."

"You won't need to." He stepped back and grinned wide, like he'd won. "If we can't get you, we'll crack her before that."

~

The tent was identical to the one Roh was in, but the scene was very different.

Kota sat with her left wrist handcuffed to the table, and her right wrist in the grip of a police officer.

"Just do it!" He growled, as if he could force fire out of her fist.

"I can't right now." She said, the strength slipping from her voice. She sounded guilty the first time she said it, and the tenth was no different. She knew how bad this looked. They already knew she was definitely a firebender when they brought the kindling test in, and it had sparked from her breath.

Another officer in the back had had enough, "Look, just give us one flame. One flame, and we'll let you go." She said.

"One  _ orange _ flame." The male officer clarified. "Your fire is orange like everyone else's, isn't it?"

"Yes." Kota said.

"Then fucking prove it!" The cop in the back yelled.

"I… just really can't, at the moment." She defaulted. "I'm a really bad firebender. It takes a lot of focus to produce flame and I can't focus like this."

"Arrite." The officer holding her wrist let go. "Uncuff her." He instructed a junior officer, probably no older than Kota herself. His hands shook as he unlocked her left cuff, then stood at attention dutifully.

Kota rubbed her wrists and stood up. "I can go?"

The female officer gave a sharp, condescending laugh.

"Bring her in." The male officer called outside the tent.

Two more officers walked in holding the elbows of an elderly woman in a blue tunic. Tear streaks already striped her face.

"Kunru?" Kota recognized the gentle old woman as the city's healer, and only waterbender. A handful of times throughout their childhood, Kota and Dagon have had to visit her in desperation when some injury of theirs wasn't healing right on its own. She had recognized what was going on at home and was always so kind to them.

Hearing Kota say her name made the woman begin to cry all over again. "I'm so sorry. I'm so so sorry, Kota." She wept.

"Wha--" Kota had no idea. Had she told them about her fire? She was pretty sure Kunru had never even seen her firebend.

Then the junior officer dragged over a large tub of water, and the female officer produced a spring-loaded metal piston from her jacket, and held it to the elderly woman's head.

"NO!" Kota lunged forward but was swept off her feet by a large blob of water Kunru had bent out of the tub.

That's when she realized what they were going to do.

The water surrounded Kota's entire body except her hands before she could take a breath, suspending her slightly above the ground. Her eyes widened at Kunru, whose sobs and apologies sounded distant and distorted through the water. She squeezed her eyes shut.

Then, it froze.

It felt like time had stopped and for a few brief moments, everything inside the ice was quiet and peaceful. She wondered where this would go on her list of best ways to die. Somewhere near the top, probably.

Then the aching hunger for air in her chest reminded her this is a horrible way to die. Soon she couldn’t even think about anything else as the primitive need for oxygen took over every last brain cell.

That's why they'd left her hands free. She would  _ have _ to firebend to get out.

She huffed a small, firebender-heated breath without producing flame, and melted the area around her mouth and nose. Thinking she'd outsmarted them, she tried to take a breath before realizing the ice gave her chest absolutely no room to expand, only causing her to panic more and waste her body's resources faster. Her mouth and nose could have all the air they wanted, but without literal room to breathe, she was dead in the ice.

White splotches began to creep in the side of her vision, even though her eyes were closed. Bright blackness pulsated and flashed behind her eyelids. Her brain felt cold and her limbs tingled warmly as she felt consciousness slipping away. Her hands outside the ice went limp. Is this really how she's gonna go? After everything? She should've fallen to her death in the barn, so at least her last moments could have been enjoyed with friends like Roh.

_ Roh. _

The thought sounded distant, and she wasn't sure if she was even still conscious, or alive for that matter, but wordless thoughts swirled into an image of her holding Roh on the floor of the barn, promising something. She couldn't remember…

Promising she wouldn't have to do this alone.

Kota felt her body force heat from her fists, not even sure if it was voluntary or a reflex at that point. Next thing she knew, her face was pressed into the wet mat on the floor, sucking in air so hard it hurt. Whatever form of execution they had planned for her, it couldn't be much worse than this.

Her body instinctively curled to allow her lungs more room and found herself propped up on her elbows, gasping for air and coughing when she drew in too much. She could only manage a few breaths like that before her arms gave way and she collapsed back to the ground, sputtering in the puddle around her.

She heard Kunru screaming about something, and felt cold handcuffs tighten around her wrists. The small comfort she'd found in connecting with the ground was ripped away as she was yanked up by her arms and dragged out of the tent.

~//~


	14. Hunt

Roh shoved through her front door, quickly locking eyes with her target.

She marched right up to her father, her vision blurring for a second with pure rage. "Why did you give her up!?" Her voice came out far more choked and pained than angry.

Maita, her mother, and grandmother had been sitting at the kitchen table but now stood tensely.

"Roh-Shan, please calm down, I don't know what you're--"

"They're hurting her!" She screamed at him, rage finding its way back into her voice. "They have her and they let me go because they "broke her" and  _ you _ turned her in and she didn't even do anything--!" All her thoughts spilled out at once.

"Oh," His eyes turned sympathetic as he gently held Roh's forearms and lowered them. She hadn't even realized she'd been making fists. "Sweetheart…" He pulled her into a hug but she shoved him away.

" _ How could you!? _ You know she didn't do it, you have to talk to them! What are they doing to her, what does "broke" mean?"

"I… it could mean a lot of things, sweetheart, but listen--"

"Don't fucking call me sweetheart!"

"Roh, shut the fuck up!" Maita burst. "He didn't turn her in!"

Roh's shoulders dropped. She looked around the room at everyone who just watched her scream at her own father, nearing a mental breakdown. "What?"

Despite her accusations, his eyes still held nothing but sympathy and concern. "Somebody else tipped the police off about her. I haven't told them anything."

"Who?" She demanded.

"I don't know, some boy…"

"The kid from school with one arm." Maita said.

"H…" Roh struggled to drag the name up from the trenches of her school memories. "Haider?"

"Yes, that's it." Her father confirmed.

"The kid who hides in the woods? What the hell does he know about Kota? Why is it his business?" Roh's mind was reeling.

Her father still thought she was talking to him. "I don’t know, but there's nothing we can do now, why don't we just sit--"

But Roh had too much anger she had to let out. She turned sharply and stormed out the door, not sure if she was going to look for Haider or just go release some anger in the form of burning down trees or killing small animals or something.

She was barely 20 feet out the door when Maita burst out the door after her. "Roh, wait!"

Roh spun, whipping her arm out as a threat just in case Maita got too close. "What!"

"I wanna find him too."

Roh softened a little. She felt tears coming before she could stop them. "The police guys questioned me and I didn't tell them anything, and then they came in saying I could go free because they "broke" her and I heard someone screaming from outside, screaming so bad, I--"

Maita pulled her into a hug. "She'll be fine. "breaking" just means they got someone to confess."

"What about the screams?" Roh pressed her face into her sister's shoulder.

"Maybe it was unrelated."

Roh took a shuddering breath and calmed down a little bit, Maita rubbing her back.

"Let's go find that fucking Haider kid." Roh was surprised to hear that come from her sister.

~

He actually wasn't hard to track down. The sun had just set, so he'd just finished scavenging around town and trying to scam people, which wasn't too successful today. He didn't even get to enjoy the small reward the police gave him because none of the shops were open.

Roh and Maita caught him walking along the treeline next to the cliffs, heading back into the woods from town.

"Hey!" Roh shouted as soon as she spotted him.

Hearing the voice, he instinctively picked up speed and dodged between the trees, trying to lose them.

The girls hurled after him, Maita having better luck jumping over roots and finding solid footing. Although it seemed like the ground was just a bit more smooth under his feet, then turned rough again right behind him. After running for at least five minutes, they reached a clearing and Maita took the opportunity to surge forward, tackling him to the ground.

"It wasn't me!" He said automatically.

"Yes it fucking was!" Roh caught up.

The three of them stared each other down for a moment, catching their breaths.

"I didn't steal anything today, I swear!" He finally said.

"No, you put my best friend in jail!"

"…What?"

"The girl with green fire, you turned her in!"

"No I didn't! I don't even know who that is!"

Roh stopped for a moment. He sounded like he was telling the truth. She thought back, then turned to Maita. "Are you sure it was him?"

Maita looked unsure now too. "Uh…"

"Please, I didn't do anything!"

Roh's anger came back, "Well maybe we should interrogate him til he " _ breaks _ ", what do you think Maita?"

"Uh, Roh. Relax for a second. Maybe he knows who--"

Just then, Haider shouted in distress, "Ahhh!"

Maita put her hands out defensively, "What? We're not doing anything to you, what's your problem?"

The boy just smiled, and moments later, a massive blue-and-white wolf came crashing through the trees. He stood over the boy, lowered his snout to the girls' level, and bared his teeth.

~//~


	15. Holding Cell

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kota can always count on one person to get her out of a bind

The peace and quiet certainly couldn't last.

But as long as she had it, after a sleepless night and nearly being tortured to death, Kota was going to enjoy it. Even if it was on the cold metal floor of a temporary jail cell.

The jail cell was completely metal. Probably a transport cage meant for animals to be honest, with only a square-foot-wide window near the top to let air in, cross-hatched with metal bars making the only openings an inch wide. But the police couldn’t just hold someone who committed ultimate treason to sit in the regular jail. This was much more humiliating and much easier to guard.

Apparently, not easy enough.

After barely half an hour of sleep, in the darkness of the early night, she felt something small strike the side of her head. She opened her eyes to find a small pebble on the ground, and smiled to herself. Shortly after, she heard the soft hiss of a concentrated flame melting metal.

She glanced up at the window, and saw the edge of the bars turn glowing red, before being severed completely. A near-perfect laser. She patiently waited for the rest of the bars to do the same thing.

When each bar around the outside had been severed, black glove-clad fingers curled around the bars and pulled them away, then reached in expectantly.

She stood up, dusted herself off, and firmly grabbed the hand, with nothing but complete trust. She used the leverage to brace her feet on the wall and crouch-walk up, then squeezed her arms, then head through. Bracing her hands on the outside wall, she wiggled the rest of the way through and fell into the waiting arms of the masked figure, who quickly set her to her feet and took off into the early night.

She sprinted after him silently until they made it to the treeline. Once they were deep in the cover of the brush, she wrapped him in a hug, which he reluctantly returned. She could practically  _ feel _ him rolling his eyes.

"Thanks, Dagon." She whispered. "Nice laser, by the way."

"That wasn't a laser. Only one person in the Fire Nation can make a real laser." He gently pulled away from the hug and pointed to a small heap of clothes sitting at the base of a tree. She remembered she was in her work uniform, which would be pretty easy to spot. "Get outta here, little sis." He whispered, before taking off in the other direction, completely invisible within seconds.

Kota turned away from where he'd gone. It was about a mile to the shore. Knowing she had limited time before the police realized she was gone, she quickly traded her work uniform for the spare clothes, ditched the uniform under a pile of leaves, and started off sprinting.

~//~


	16. Cliffside

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Heated confrontations come to a boil in the woods... As Kota realizes she must leave town, Roh faces a tough decision. I don't really know how to write summaries. But I like this chapter and those waiting for the LGBT part, here you go. Here's a start ;)

"It was probably her father who turned her in." Roh concluded, new rage sparking within her.

To be completely honest, she was still on the fence about her best friend's innocence. Any other alternatives to the cause of the green fire seemed less likely. But the thought of Kota's father being the one to turn her in just angered her, for some reason. It could've been any of her siblings, for that matter, but Roh was pretty sure at least half her siblings didn't even know she and Dagon were firebenders.

"I wouldn't be surprised." Maita muttered.

"Can I go, then? While you two make up your minds?" Haider stood next to the wolf's arm now, clearly having the upper hand anyway with the giant beast on his side.

Roh sighed. "I guess."

"Great. Thanks for blaming the disabled orphan without any evidence. Hope I can have the pleasure again sometime." He shot, before turning.

"Boo-freaking-hoo." Maita shot back, but was distracted by the sound of footsteps and cracking sticks in the woods to their right.

Haider stopped too, hoping it was the police here to tell the girls to buzz off, but it seemed to be one set of footsteps.

A few seconds later, the footsteps slowed at the edge of the clearing, and a familiar face stepped into view.

"Kota!" Roh ran up to her, intending to pull her best friend into a hug, but Kota locked eyes with Haider first. She looked bruised and drained.

"You!" She lunged at him.

"What?" Roh tried to process this.

"He turned me in!"

"I knew it!" Maita shouted.

Kota pounced and had her hands around Haider's throat in a split second.

Before he could even try to hit back, the wolf grabbed the back of Kota's shirt between his teeth and lifted them both off the ground, letting out a threatening, terrifying growl. He tossed them both against a tree trunk, making Kota drop Haider as they fell to the ground.

Within seconds, the wolf was on top of Kota again, baring his teeth at her, but before he could get a bite in, flames struck him on both sides from Roh and Maita. He reared back and the excess flames flew up into the night, above the treeline. Haider pounced on Maita, and she threw more flames at him as he threw punches, landing a few good ones.

"Stop!" Roh shouted, which surprisingly worked. "Someone's gonna see the fire!"

"Huh, maybe you should stop  _ firebending _ then!" Haider shot.

"Tell him to back down." She pointed at the wolf, who had pinned Kota again.

"Why? I don't care if the police show up. Ennis, bite her."

The wolf opened its jaws wide enough to rip Kota in half, before he was lifted off his feet with a strong swirling air. He snapped his jaws and thrashed his legs wildly before letting out a whimper, but it got him nowhere.

Haider and Maita stared, equally astonished, at the source of the air. Roh, feet planted firmly apart and hands splayed toward the animal. She dropped him and he scampered away.

"What… in the hell was that? Did you just hex him or something!?" Haider cried.

"She's the Avatar, you dipshit." Kota yelled. "And that's not even what hex means!"

He looked at Roh like the Avatar was more implausible than witchcraft.

Before either of them had time to respond, Kota got up and ran over to Roh. "Listen. We gotta go now. We'll steal a boat and get you to the Western Air Temple to learn airbending, and the Nuns will be able to tell I'm innocent too. C'mon Roh," Her voice broke. "They're gonna kill me if they find me again."

"No. Kota, I'm sure they're not going to  _ kill _ you."

"They nearly tortured me to death and they'll do it again." Kota said with a lot less energy than before, her breath catching in her throat. "I really thought I was gonna die." Her tone alone said she'd been through something Roh could only imagine.

Roh felt winded, her worst fears from earlier being confirmed.

Maita spoke up, "Uh, I overheard Dad say the penalty for killing the Mayor is most certainly death. And if history shows anything, they're not exactly gonna give a fair trial. With or without Roh, Kota you gotta get outta here."

Kota nodded, easily jumping to Plan B, as if she'd expected this. She took Roh's hand. "It's okay, Roh. I understand, but I gotta take off. Maybe our paths will cross again sometime."

"I can get you to an island nearby with a small town. Hiyori Island. You can figure out where to go from there." Haider spoke up.

Kota spun to glare at him. "I'd say "nice try", but that was a pretty bad try."

"No really, I doubt the police will give me a reward again."

"You turned her in for  _ money _ !?" Roh shouted.

"If anything, they'll think you broke her out just to collect the reward again." Maita pointed out.

Haider seemed to realize this for the first time. "Look, I don't wanna get on the bad side of the police, or the  _ Avatar. _ I'll get you outta here, and we'll call it even, okay?"

"Why do you think I'd ever trust you?" Kota spat.

Distant shouting echoed through the woods. Men's voices getting closer. They must've seen the flames, and no doubt the police had realized Kota was gone by now.

"I don't think you have much of a choice." Haider pointed out. "Look, the wolf can swim. I'll take you as far as Hiyori, and you can do whatever you want from there. It's far enough that they won't be looking for you, and big enough to find a boat or something. Okay? As long as the Avatar doesn't like, hunt me down or something."

Something about that line struck Roh. Being lumped in with past Avatars and their motives. Like she would ever use her powers to "hunt" someone for personal revenge. 

The voices got closer. Ennis ducked down to allow Haider to climb up, and he swung himself onto his back. "You coming?" He called to Kota.

She turned to Roh.

"I… I'm not going." Roh said. The words hurt, but it felt like the right choice.

Kota looked disappointed but not surprised. She stepped up to her best friend and hugged her. Roh hugged back, tight.

"I'll miss you."

Kota pulled back and looked deep in her eyes. "I'll really miss you too, Roh." She brought her hand to Roh's cheek and stroked her thumb across it.

Roh's heart sped up again and she felt new pricks of sweat, a little bit short of breath. Just like in the barn two nights ago, but more intense this time because she didn't have the bog clouding her mind.

Yet, she somehow still didn't see it coming when Kota leaned in and pressed a delicate kiss to her lips. Not a long kiss, but certainly not leaving any ambiguity as to her intentions. Roh felt a warm electricity through her chest and limbs, which briefly lingered when Kota pulled away. She gave her one last look, this time a bit sad, before she turned and ran towards Haider and Ennis, jumping on the wolf's back, and they disappeared into the woods.

Roh forced her eyes away from the spot Kota had just been, less surprised by Kota's actions than she was her body's reaction to it. She caught Maita staring at her with raised eyebrows.

The police finally caught up and burst into the clearing. Only it wasn't the police, it was a few men in Fire Army uniforms. "Got em here!" One of them shouted.

Maita turned and didn't miss a beat. "Whoa. Can we help you?"

"You out here firebending?"

"Yeah, is it illegal?"

"No, but we're looking for a fugitive. About your age. Light hair. Green fire. Seen her?"

"Uh, nope. Why, did you see green fire?" Maita looked innocently up into the air, as if looking for the same thing they were.

"No, we saw orange fire, but we're wondering--"

Maita shot a small orange flame into the sky with two fingers, and shrugged at them. "Wasn't me."

The men stared at Roh. She took a second but caught on, copying her sister, of course producing orange flame.

"Oh. Well, there's a fugitive on the loose, you girls need to get home, it's not safe out here."

"We're just practicing our firebending. We come out here all the time."

"But it's not safe. C'mon. Let's get you home." He took Maita by the elbow, showing she didn't have a choice. Another one took Roh, and the girls led them a good mile through the woods back to their house.

~//~


	17. Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Getting home does not go as smoothly as anyone imagined. First official use of the Avatar State, and possibly maybe a character death (just a warning) or maybe not. Fuck around and find out.

"Make sure they don't go out again." One of the soldiers said to Roh's father. "It's not safe out there."

Roh and Maita shuffled into their kitchen where their mother sat, while their father talked with the soldiers at the door.

"What do you mean?" Their father asked.

"There's an escaped fugitive. The criminal who killed the mayor. There's a manhunt out for h-- the fugitive right now. Everyone needs to stay indoors."

Maita choked a laugh at the soldier's avoidance of the pronoun; the men were too afraid to admit the "criminal" that escaped high-level guarded security was a teenage girl.

A different soldier glared at her.

But Roh was paying attention to their father's reaction to this news. She saw his head barely turn towards the girls, but thought better of risking making them look guilty. All things considered, they probably seemed pretty guilty to him right about now.

If he thought it, he didn't show it. "That's terrible, do you know if the fugitive is targeting anyone, or anyplace in particular? I want to stay as far away as possible."

"You're fine where you are, sir. Just stay indoors."

"Well, thank you for that warning, we appreciate it. I'm surprised the Army got here so fast, I was told they were several days out."

"We were serving in a nearby outpost, and were dispatched after the zoo fire, so it only took us one day." The first soldier said, but for some reason it set off red flags for Maita. She glanced at Roh, who read her face.

"Well, I'm very glad you're here. You're taking over police operations for an internal investigation, correct?"

The phrase seemed to confuse them for a second, as if they weren't totally familiar with that plan. "Yes." The soldier replied anyway.

"Very good. Well, I should let you be on your way. Lots of investigations to cover. I'll be in tomorrow, I have a number of internal transcripts and documents that may be of interest to you." Their father said.

The soldier thought for a moment. "No need. The fugitive was working with the rebels. It's an open and shut case."

Their father looked confused. "You're not going to do any kind of internal investigation?"

The man gritted his teeth. "It's open and shut. Why, do you think we should be investigating members of the mayor's inner circle?"

"Well, it is protocol. Plus I did see the crime scene myself. There's no way it was set from the outside, and the transcripts I have document some concerning disagreements between the mayor and those under his direction, especially General Suley--"

Without any warning, the first soldier reached into his belt and pulled out a spring-loaded piston, pressing it firmly to their father's temple. "Where are those transcripts, exactly?"

Their father's eyes went wide. Their mother's fist clenched in fear on the table, scratching the wood. Maita grabbed Roh's hand under the table. Roh did nothing.

"In my desk, bottom left drawer." He pointed to his office.

Two other soldiers went inside while the first one held position.

"Please," Their father sounded surprisingly calm. "Not in front of my daughters. I'll go outside with you." He turned just his eyes to the three women at the table. "I love you." He said, with equal parts sincerity and defeat. 

"Dad, no!" Maita spoke up, before her mother grabbed her other hand and held it down firmly. The message was clear: don't give them any reason to bring you into this.

There was a loud clattering in the office as the desk was torn apart. The two soldiers returned with all the files and set them in the middle of the floor, before lighting them with a burst of flame.

"Perfect." The first soldier said, turning as if to leave.

Everyone in the room let out a collective breath. But the man did one more thing before lowering the piston. He pulled the trigger.

With the slightest, choked sound, their father dropped to the floor, a dark red circle spreading from the side of his head, like spilled ink beneath the skin.

Their mother screamed, and Maita stood up. The empty space they'd left in their lungs when they let out a relieved breath was quickly filled with an even emptier, heavy sickness in their stomachs.

The soldiers cleared out of the house as their father lay on the ground and the curtains began to catch fire.

Roh watched her mother drop to her father's side, holding him, begging him to get up. Maita, always able to think clearly in the face of danger, ran to the back room to get their grandmother out of the house before the fire spread.

Roh just sat in her chair. She couldn't hear anything anymore. The  _ police officers _ who just invaded her house and hurt her father were getting away with it. Of course, deep down she knew he was beyond just hurt. But the pure rage boiling over wouldn't let that thought come to the surface. All she knew was that these officers, corrupt and most certainly not military, were  _ getting away. _ Nobody was going to do anything.

She doesn't even remember standing up.

The rage glowed behind her eyes and she vaguely registered that she was above her house now, swirling in a tornado of air and debris, and she didn't feel totally in control of her actions.

The men must've heard her crash through the roof, because they took one look back and started running.

Her left arm extended behind her, then raised. The fire that was consuming her house branched off and followed her arm as she swung it directly at the running officers. Within seconds, all their clothes had caught in flames and they dropped to the ground in an attempt to extinguish themselves.

Roh brought her hands together, then slowly spilt them apart. The earth beneath the men cracked open enough for them to fall in. Without the slightest hesitation or mercy, she clapped her hands back together. The parted earth reconnected itself with the force of a moderate earthquake and power that certainly wasn't her own, shaking houses enough to do damage and ripping tree roots from the ground. A dark wet stain blossomed from the ground where the men had just been. 

The glow started to flicker, and Roh felt lightheaded. Before she could stop herself, she was falling back through the hole in her roof, and into her kitchen, which was now completely engulfed in flames. The intense heat was so searing that it registered as cold. She was too weak to move, and at that point, she didn't really care. Blackness took over.

~

Maita wasn't about to lose two family members tonight. While her mother and grandmother were still in the street, paralyzed in shock at what they'd just seen Roh do, Maita ran back into the flaming house. Inside, she could no longer see much of anything due to the thick black smoke filling most of the house. By memory, she stayed low and felt her way to where Roh's seat at the table was. Shoving chairs aside, she grabbed her sister under the arms and backed out, dragging her far away from the house and coming to rest in the dirt of the street.

Her mother still wasn't sure what had just happened but she got over her shock enough to cradle her unconscious daughter in her arms. "Roh-Shan, baby. Please."

Roh's eyes slowly blinked open, the last of the glow fading. "I'mokay." She muttered, looking like she was going to pass out again, but she regained strength and sat up, recalling what had just happened. "Dad!" She choked.

Nobody knew how to respond, since none of them had quite come to terms with all the chaos that just took place.

That's when she noticed several neighbors who had stepped out to see the commotion. On top of that, there were dark police ostrich-horse drawn carts approaching. No, those were komodo rhinos.  _ Military _ komodo rhinos.

Roh was almost fully back to normal now, although exhausted. Maita pulled her aside. "Listen to me. That's the military, not the police. They'll take us in for questioning but ultimately we've done nothing wrong." Maita made sure to gesture to herself, and their mother and grandmother. " _ You _ gotta get out of here. We've done nothing wrong but you kinda just killed four people. We'll be fine, we can throw them off the trail. But you need to go. Do you hear me?"

Roh still wasn't fully with it enough to answer quickly.

Maita leaned in to her ear, "They're going to  _ kill you _ . Fucking go! I'm not losing you tonight!" With frustration and pain, she shoved her sister away, towards the woods.

The real soldiers on komodo rhinos were mere houses away, close enough to have already spotted Roh, probably.

"GO!" Maita half-shouted, shoving Roh again.

Still not fully aware of her actions, Roh felt the glow behind her eyes flash again, and she stood up and sprinted down to where the road ended at the seaside cliff. She jumped, and disappeared over the edge.

~//~

She wasn't "Roh" anymore. Part of her had been left behind in her burning house with her father, part of her that she could never get back.

She was Avatar Roh-Shan now.

She glided across the ocean on a swirl of air beneath her feet. Roh never could have done this. There was some other force guiding her, considering she didn't even know where she was going until she got there.

Just ahead, barely a speck on the ocean that didn't look like anything until she got close, was an extra-large wolf and two figures on its back.

She felt her eyes flicker out again, and her air faltered and one foot met the water, causing her to stumble and trip, before taking a headfirst dive into the water five feet from the wolf.

She was ready to sink and would have been content with that. But of course, a hand grabbed her by the collar and dragged her up out of the water. She felt warm hands pull her to safety, and then blacked out.

~//~


	18. Deserted Island

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The trio lands on an abandoned island and fight over what to do next while making some alarming discoveries...

Her restless sleep was fraught with flashes of all the nightmares she'd ever had. Fresh new mini-terrors every few seconds. Nothing necessarily frightening to anyone else watching, but for Roh, each image dragged up long-forgotten scenes of make-believe wars, chase, entrapment, apocalypse, blood and gore, abandonment, and losing loved ones.

Straining. Pain. Darkness.

So when she finally opened her eyes into bright sunlight and a clear blue sky, it wasn't a question of if she was still dreaming, but if she was alive or dead.

She started to move and registered that she was laying in warm sand. She identified the rhythmic background noise as ocean waves, and was pretty sure this was death.

A flash of last night interrupted the tropical view. Her house on fire. Is that how she'd died?

"Oh, look who decided to join us."

The voice sounded distant but way too close at the same time. She lifted her head and took in the world around her. It looked too beautiful to exist in the same universe as the scenes from her nightmares. Palm trees and tropical foliage cast short shadows across the sand in the midday sun. A rocky hill made up the highest point in sight, relatively close by. Blue water for miles in every other direction. And, of course, a one-armed boy and a ten-foot-tall wolf.

She pressed her hand to her head even though she didn't have a headache. She felt like she should have one. "What?" She glanced up at him.

"I see you changed your mind about coming with." Haider said smugly. He was leaning against the relaxed wolf, fidgeting with some string in his hand, as if deciding what to do with it.

Roh didn't have an answer. The memory of last night's events didn't exactly  _ hit _ her. She was pretty sure they'd never really gone. It was just a matter of picking out that nightmare as real against all the fakes.

"We were gonna make it to Hiyori, but Ennis isn't quite built for three riders. Too many feet dragging in the water. So, we had to make a pit stop."

"Where's Kota?" Roh finally managed. Too many questions were circling her brain, and the spinning wheel landed on that one.

Haider jerked his thumb toward the treeline. Sure enough, curled up in the shade was a small figure, sleeping peacefully.

He looked like he got a sudden idea about the rope, and scooped over a small pile of rocks he'd clearly collected from somewhere else beforehand. "So what made you change your mind?"

"About what?" Roh's mind was still foggy.

"Coming with us?" He said slowly, as if spelling it out for a child.

"Oh. Um, I--I don't know. Just thought it's a good time to leave town for a while…" Roh trailed off as she watched Haider motion to the rocks with his hand, and before her very eyes, the rocks formed into the shape of a hand growing out of the sand. More loose sand lifted up to fill in the cracks between the rocks, making the fingers and wrist incredibly dexterous. The rock hand acted exactly as someone's right hand would, working in perfect sync with his left to tie the rope into some type of advanced knot.

"…You're an earthbender." She concluded in awe. There weren't any earthbenders in town, or at least she'd thought.

He eyed her, then looked back down at his project. "What about it?" 

"Nothing, I… just didn't know. Your--" She caught herself before saying something about parents.

He smiled and huffed a small laugh to himself, as if he knew exactly what she'd been about to say.

There was an extended moment of awkward silence, but Haider seemed to be enjoying it. The wolf yawned and stood up, his large body casting a shadow over Haider despite the sun being almost directly overhead. He walked over to a few sacks Haider had stashed and poked his nose around them, knocking them over.

"What's wrong, Ennis? Hungry?"

Ennis reared his head back, and brought it back down with a loud sneeze. He shook his head out and trotted over to the breaking waves, stepping in the water.

A flash of movement near the trees caught Roh's attention. She turned her head to see Kota sitting straight up, looking alarmed.

Haider saw it too. "Relax, jumpy! It was just a sneeze!" He laughed.

But Kota was over that by now. "Roh!" She pushed off the sandbank and ran toward them. "Are you okay? Did something happen?"

"Um. No."

She came to rest on her knees in the sand next to them, mainly facing Roh. "You just… changed your mind about going with?"

Roh looked her in the eyes, wondering if she could tell she was lying right now like Maita would. She didn't feel like explaining this in front of Haider. "Yep."

"Oh. Okay. I'm glad you changed your mind." She bit her lip like she was trying to think of what to say next. "So, you're going to the Western Air Temple?"

Roh hadn't thought that far ahead yet. "I guess so."

"That's awesome." But Kota's voice didn't carry the same energy those words should. She could definitely tell something was wrong.

A thundering splash interrupted them, and they turned toward the water. Ennis came trudging out of the water excitedly, a large fish in his mouth.

"Whoa! Good boy, Ennis." Haider praised.

Ennis dropped the fish in the sand nearby. Thankfully it was already dead from the punctures of his teeth.

"Breakfast. See, I knew this guy would come in handy." Haider said. "I'll grab some sticks and we'll cook--"

He stopped as they all watched Ennis tear into the fish that was clearly only meant for himself.

"Um." Roh said, and Kota let out a small laugh.

Ennis finished off the large fish in under a minute, then turned and ran back into the sea.

"Maybe… he's getting some for us now." Haider didn't sound so sure.

"Maybe he's getting seconds." Kota pointed out, but she was already getting up to gather some kindling anyway.

Roh watched the ocean waves crash for a few minutes, praying Haider wouldn't try to strike up more conversation. She tried to find momentary peace in the movement of the water, forcing all thoughts about last night from her mind.

Soon, Kota returned with some loose sticks, dried leaves and coconut husks as kindling. She gathered them in a small circle and cupped her hands around it. Smoke started to rise.

Ennis ran back up the beach with another large fish, this time dropping it at Haider's feet and bowing his head slightly in offering. Haider pat his head "Good boy."

When Ennis raised his head again though, he caught sight of the green flames rising from their small campfire.

With a short howl of fear, Ennis reared back and darted across the beach into the brush, kicking up sand in his wake.

It took everyone a minute to realize why. "You idiot!" Haider lashed at Kota, roughly shoving sand over the fire to extinguish it. "He's still got burns from your last stupid fire! You nearly killed him!" He shot to his feet and ran after Ennis, but not before stopping to pull his foot back, so close to Kota that Roh thought he was going to kick her, and she braced for the strike. But he dropped his foot hard in the sand, causing it to spray in her eyes. He looked like he wanted to do more, but seemed more concerned about Ennis. He took off in the direction Ennis had gone.

Kota rubbed her tearing eyes with one hand, and buried the rest of the fire in sand with the other.

"I got it, I got it." Roh finished covering the fire so Kota could use both hands to try and rub sand out of her eyes.

She fell back in the sand. "Stupid." She muttered. "I deserved that."

"You didn't set the zoo fire." Though Roh wasn't really sure of anything anymore. 

"I still deserved it." With her hands now covered in sand, she lifted her shirt to her eyes in an attempt to clear them. She was still blinking sand away by the time she sat up to face her best friend. She put a hand on Roh's shoulder, but then took it away, as if there was some new rift between them. "What happened last night, Roh? Something happened, I can tell."

Roh let out a shaky breath, and as soon as the words came to her mind she was already choking up. She realized getting the words out would be much harder than she expected.

Kota recognized this and tried to get a yes-or-no answer instead. "Did something happen after I left?"

Roh nodded.

She seemed a little bit relieved by this. "Did somebody get hurt?"

Roh paused, then nodded.

"Was it Maita?"

By this point, she'd gathered enough strength to choke out, "They killed my dad."

The air left Kota's lungs. It didn't seem like this could possibly be real. "Are you--" She was about to ask if Roh was sure, unable to believe it herself, but didn't want to make her friend repeat that sentence. "Are you okay?"

Roh shook her head no and cried harder as Kota pulled her into a tight hug, any awkwardness from last night forgotten.

Kota still really needed to know what happened, who "they" were, but decided now was not the time to press. Why would anyone kill Roh's father? He wasn't even involved, unless… A sick feeling settled into Kota's stomach. She was the only one the police were after. What if somehow she'd brought this on? What if Roh was only hugging her for comfort now, but would ultimately come to her senses and beat the crap out of her and leave? 

Kota mentally prepared herself for this.

But Roh just held on. So Kota settled in, rubbing her friend's back softly, resting her chin on the top of her head. No matter who was to blame for Roh's father's death, Kota wanted to be the one to dry her tears.

After a while, but sooner than Kota would have liked, Roh sat back up and pulled away from her. She wiped at her eyes once with her wrist. "No. No, we don’t have time for this right now. Someone needs to make a plan. Someone should go to Ren Haru and… no wait, the Fire Nation Capital. They need to know that the police in Ren Haru are corrupt, they need to know, they need to do something--"

"Roh, Roh calm down a second. What if the military is corrupt too?"

Kota watched Roh's face as her whole world seemed to shatter. No, the whole world in general would shatter at that point. "Shit, I made it worse again didn't I?"

Roh looked like she was about to launch into a whole new tirade.

"Hold on, just hold on a second. I'm sure even if, worse case, the military is corrupt, I'm sure there are still plenty of good people left. The world's not gonna fall apart over this, okay?"

"And it's my job to put it back together…" It was as if Roh didn't even hear her.

Kota took her by the shoulders. "Roh. Listen to me." She jostled her friend's shoulders until she was forced to look her in the eyes. "Is the rest of your family safe? Are the people back home in any danger of being mass-murdered in the next few weeks?"

Thankfully Roh was finally listening. "No. Not unless they have evidence the police are corrupt and the police find out."

"And the fire army will get there soon, right?"

"They came in last night."

"Perfect. Roh, no offense but neither of us are strong firebenders, if anything happens and we need to fight, we'll be done for. You need to become the Avatar before you can take on the responsibilities of one."

That just seemed to make her angry. "You're telling me to go mess around at some Air Temple while my city falls apart?"

"If by "mess around" you mean learn how to fix things, then yes. The city is falling apart anyways, we can't change  _ anything _ right now. Going back will just waste time."

It seemed like that was finally able to chip through Roh's last layer of stubbornness. All the stuff Kota had been saying finally got through.

It's true. If Roh tried to take this on now, she would undoubtedly lose more family and friends than if she came prepared.

"Okay… okay. Gotta work out a plan. We'll take a brief--"

They were interrupted by a sharp scream from just around the curve of the beach. Both girls shot to their feet. Roh took off toward the scream while Kota did a quick 360 to make sure everything was clear around them, then followed her friend.

The island was small enough that the point where the treeline and beach curved was less than a quarter mile away, and the girls rounded the bend to find a small wooden shack near the tree line and Haider in the sand in front of it. Well, to be honest, the first thing they saw was Ennis but he didn't seem very alarmed. He sat comfortably near the shore, holding a length of rope in his mouth that was attached to a small rowboat in the water.

Roh reached Haider first. "What happened? Are you hurt? What…"

Haider was on his back as if he had stumbled backward and fallen, looking at the shack with more sadness than fear now. He gestured to the door.

Kota was already at the door, opening it carefully, and Roh cautiously walked up too. She would like to believe that if there truly was danger, Haider would have stopped them. But it definitely wasn't out of the question that he might use them as bait to give himself time to run away from whatever was in there.

If Kota shared that same concern, she didn't show it. Roh never understood how someone who gets startled by everything could also be fearless to the point of stupidity. Roh's own 'fearlessness' was just due to not feeling fear quite as strong as most people might, but Kota's was borderline 'asking for trouble'.

Kota pulled the door open by the rope handle but didn't put her body in front of the doorway just yet. From where she stood ten feet away, Roh tilted her head and peeked in.

The initial sight was enough to understand why Haider was startled, if he had just been expecting a normal shack. But upon taking in the scene, it told a much different story.

A pale white skull stood out in the limited daylight of the shack. It rested on an unrecognizable heap of tattered clothes with longer bones sticking out across the floor, loosely connected. Hung on the wall were various sized fishing rods, crab traps, and metal-clamp animal traps. One of the animal traps was on the floor, teeth closed together around the bones of a foot.

Haider was on his feet by now, clearly having gained bravery now that he wasn't alone. He whispered a quick prayer, then stepped past Roh and Kota into the shack.

"What are you  _ doing?" _ Roh asked.

"We need the supplies, don't we?" Haider reached through some junk and found a large coil of rope from one corner. He stepped out with his prize. "Perfect."

Kota shrugged and stepped into the shack too. She went for the wall of tools, right above the man's skull.

It felt… wrong. Roh didn't really recognize the feeling, but it was something similar to guilt. And she's definitely not used to that. "Stop."

"What?" Kota turned around, holding a small hooked metal bar.

No words came out. 

"It's not like he's gonna miss em!" Haider called.

But Kota recognized her friend's apprehension and replaced the hook, stepping out. "How about we gather some flowers, make a small marker, and lay him to rest?

Roh nodded. She was still confused by her own reaction. She doesn't give a shit about strangers, why is this one different?

"Pssh, softies." Haider mumbled as he started measuring out lengths of rope, laying them across the sand.

Kota took her friend's hand and stepped into the cover of the palm trees. "I'm sure there's flowers somewhere. C'mon."

Roh forced her eyes away from the shack and followed.

~

By the time they had set up a small shrine of flowers and sticks against the side of the small structure, it was clear that this wasn't for the man in the shack. Roh placed the last flower carefully and then stepped back, grabbing her best friend's hand and squeezing it tight.

"He didn't do anything wrong." Roh tried to will the tears back but ended up having to wipe them away with her wrist anyway. "He just got mixed up in the wrong stuff and he didn't deserve to die like this. He was one of the good guys. He was just doing his job."

Kota nodded her head and carefully looked at Roh. Having been best friends for the past five years or so, Kota knew Roh's father well and admittedly, the news of his death was a shock to her and she still wasn't quite ready to believe it considering she hadn't seen anything herself. So she was a bit thrown by how well Roh seemed to be taking this. Given that Kota wasn't exactly close with her own mother, and she would probably be glad if her own father died, she really had nothing to equate this to, except maybe losing Dagon. And if that was the case, she certainly wouldn't be half as strong as Roh seemed right now.

Roh stiffened and took a deep breath, then turned and walked away without looking back.

She approached Haider, who had tied the lengths of rope into a harness around Ennis's neck and shoulders, and was now rigging that to the shoddy wooden fishing boat he'd dragged over. "How far can he take us?" Roh asked firmly, pointing to Ennis.

Haider shrugged, "How much money you got?"

"I'm asking about his capabilities, not your willingness to exploit anything for money. If you start using him for personal profit you're no better than the zoo he was imprisoned in."

Haider clenched his fist at his side. "And if you start demanding things without paying, you're no better than all the past Avatars who use their power to get whatever they want."

Roh's stiff composure broke. "What? No, that's not what I'm-- I'm not like them. I wasn't trying to… Look, that's not what I'm trying to do. I just need to get to the Western Air Temple. Once I learn airbending, we'll figure out a next step."

"Sounds good." Kota said.

But it felt wrong.

Haider glanced back at Ennis again. "I gotta be honest, I don't know his limitations, or even if he'd be willing to listen to me, but I know with three people on his back he was tired after about four hours. How far is the Western Air Temple?"

"About three days by boat." Roh said.

"Yeah, I don’t think he could do that all in one go, even with nobody on his back."

"What if there were islands along the way we could stop at and rest?"

"Well are there?"

"… I don't know. I'd need a map."

Haider rolled his eyes. "Okay, back to Plan A then: get to Hiyori Island, we'll find a map there. Glad we could throw all this confusion into the mix just to end up right back where we started from."

"Hey! Could you speak a dialect other than sarcasm? Or don't you know any?" Kota took a few steps toward Haider.

Ennis lowered his head and bared his teeth at her, letting out a low growl. Haider grinned with the most smug look Roh had ever seen in her life.

"I'm not scared of him!" Kota marched right up to the wolf and stood between its front legs. She definitely had Haider's attention now. "Are you listening now? The police in Ren Haru are corrupt. We don’t know what their motive is but--"

"They wanted to overthrow the mayor." Roh said.

Both heads turned to her.

"…The  _ police _ killed the mayor?" It made sense but it still caught Kota by surprise.

Roh took a deep breath. "Yes. My dad had transcripts of meetings between Mayor Odei and his General, Suley I think. When he mentioned these transcripts last night, the police officers burned the records and murdered him. Whether or not they set the fire, they're protecting whoever did."

Kota felt guilty for the small wave of relief she got after hearing someone finally believed the fire wasn't her fault.

Haider finally seemed to drop his act. "They killed your dad last night?"

"More like an execution." Roh swallowed back tears of anger. "And then I went into the Avatar state and crushed them to death."

A small laugh escaped Haider before he realized it was inappropriate, but then figured he should explain his laugh, "That's badass."

Being so exhausted after the Avatar state, Roh never really got the chance to think about that part of last night. She killed four people. Four people who had families. Their whole careers leading up to this, a small push of earth. Four hearts that stopped beating. By her hands…

She grinned. They got exactly what they deserved, and being the one to deliver it felt  _ so good _ .

"General Suley takes over the Mayor's duties until the next election, right?" Kota asked.

"Yes, unless the Fire Lord steps in and appoints someone else."

"And the election is less than a year away. Maybe things will work out on their own." She sounded more optimistic about that than anyone who's participated in blatantly corrupt elections would be.

"How soon can we get to Hiyori?" Roh stared down Haider and pointed to the wolf.

Haider stared her down right back with a smile, and pointed to the boat. "Give it a spin."

~

Haider's boat filled with water almost immediately after being loaded with the weight. Even more unfortunate, the weight he'd used to test it was the sack of spare clothes and supplies he'd brought.

He slapped a wet tunic onto the sand in frustration. "Shoulda brought more than one sack."

Last night on their way to the beach, Kota had witnessed him climb a tree with surprising speed and pull a sack of supplies out of a high branch. That's when she suspected he might be paranoid. "You have more than one?"

"Duh, there's one in the western tip of the forest, one in a cave on the side of the mountain, one buried near the town-- well, you don't need to know where they are!" He snapped, as if she'd asked.

She concluded he was definitely paranoid. She turned away toward Roh, up the beach. "Any luck over there?"

Roh stood facing another wet clothing item she'd draped over a low branch, her open palms held out to it. "nnnope." She said with a frustrated shake of her head. She still had almost no control over airbending, perfecting it wasn't about to start now. She could draw air out of small animals, but apparently couldn't push it anywhere unless Kota's life was in danger. Sometimes.

Haider dusted sand off his hand. "Well, everything I need to fix that hole is in the shack. And Ennis is a lot more comfortable pulling the boat than us riding his back. We should be good to go by midnight, and we'll be in Hiyori by morning."

~//~


	19. Rebel Meeting 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A familiar face stands up for Kota.

"May I please have everyone's attention?" A woman in a black robe with purple trim stood at the front of a packed crowd. Their whispered conversations ceased instantly, and a hush fell over the room. They rose from their seats. It was a seedy basement-level bar with a stage for small jazz bands and dances, usually as a cover-up for some more illegal dealings in the back. The room was packed.

Although her posture was strong and confident, her face gave away a much more somber mood. "By the order of the Black Iris, Greater Ren Haru Chapter, I hereby call this meeting to order." She gave a three-tone-whistle.

The crowd clapped once, perfectly in unison.

She bowed to them, and they sat down. She took another moment to gather her composure. "It is with great sorrow that I assume the position of Chief, of the Black Iris Ren Haru Chapter. I know you're all aware of what took place the other night, the attack on our innocent people, and while we continue to mourn the loss of our brothers and sisters, and pray for the healing of others, I want to make it clear that we will not be silenced, and we will not go down without a fight."

A small ripple of approval coursed through the crowd. Some sat in wheelchairs, casts around their arms or legs, bandaged heads, and evident burns.

"As you well know, drumming up attention to our injustices has been futile, and our struggle has been overshadowed by the death of Mayor Odei." She scanned the room. "While the Black Iris leadership never ordered, authorized, or heard word about an attack on the mayor, given that solely the mayor perished in the fire  _ is _ in line with the Black Iris principle.  _ Strike not first _ ,"

" _ But in return _ ." The whole room automatically recited.

"And given the plethora of injustices, decades of selfishness and suffering Mayor Odei has brought on the people of Ren Haru and surrounding rural districts, I'd say he's most definitely struck first, wouldn't you?"

"Yes!" A few voices shouted, while others mumbled hushed agreements. Nobody disagreed.

"That being said," She paused to bring the room back down. "if that attack was carried out by one of our members, the Black Iris leadership needs to know about it. We as an organization take responsibility for any act against the ruling class carried out by our members, so long as it's in line with our principles. If you carried out the attack or know who did, you may require protection that Leadership can provide. Now I ask you please, will whomever had any part in the attack on the mayor, please step forward now."

Everyone held their breaths for a tense few seconds and not a single sound was heard, as though the air had been sucked out of the room. Nobody stepped forward, nobody moved a muscle.

"Please, there is nothing to fear. If you know who may have done it, or know anything about the attack, please raise your hand now."

Again, nothing, but this time the silence was a little more comfortable since she wasn't asking people to directly admit to murder.

Finally, one loud voice from the side of the room piped up, "I don't think anyone here knows how to make green fire."

A number of people around him muttered in agreement, and everyone turned back to the Chief, waiting for her to react.

"I understand. That was going to be my next question, does anyone know anything that might cause green fire?"

"That one firebender girl." The same guy from before said.

"Who?" Another person asked.

Someone else answered, "Heard around town that there's a girl who bends green fire naturally, like, she can't make orange fire. And that's the only place anyone's ever seen green fire. I ain't never seen it before, I know that much."

"Me neither." Several voices added, and the conversation took off.

"Wait, are you saying a little girl killed the mayor?"

"A heist like that? There's no way."

"I never said how old she was, might not be little."

"Still, that's not a one person job, no way."

"I heard she escaped custody last night--"

The Chief clapped her hands together once, and everybody turned to attention again. "I think whomever killed the mayor, we can just be glad the military isn't focused on investigating us for it. Whatever may have caused the green fire, it's saving our asses, so long as they're looking for that girl and not one of us."

A lanky boy leaning against the back wall, dressed in all black with a thin scarf covering his mouth and nose, sat forward and lowered the cloth to boldly say, "The girl didn't do it."

All eyes turned to him, and he forced himself to remain confident.

The Chief narrowed her eyes at him. "Do you have some type of inside knowledge on the matter?"

He set his jaw and narrowed his eyes back. "I did some investigating. She has a solid alibi, Chief. I swear."

"Son, our main concern here is for our own members. As long as the military's investigations are elsewhere, we are free to continue our plans and I don't have any say over whom the military investigates, do I?" The woman replied.

Dagon pulled the cloth all the way down and stood up. "You're going to ignore part of your own sworn oath?  _ I protect my kin _ ," He started.

" _ My home and land _ ." The whole room recited.

"That girl is a Ren Haru resident, born and raised, and that makes her our kin. Are you going to let the military execute an innocent child just because she's not directly a Black Iris member? Isn't this about doing what's right for our own people? You're just gonna do nothing?"

"Exactly." The Chief replied sharply. "We are doing nothing, therefore we can't be doing anything wrong in the eyes of the military. We need to be flying under the radar, child. Have you forgotten that we just lost nearly thirty of our own kin this week?" She gestured to the injured members up front, as if Dagon were disrespecting them personally. "Until we can guarantee that all our members are safe and healthy, we cannot get involved in external conflicts.  _ For the battles of others _ ,"

_ "I need not concern! _ " The room recited. She'd used his own trick against him.

Dagon's hands clenched into fists. "They're going to kill her. You all know that!"

"Why don't you go save your girlfriend yourself?" A man nearby teased, sending others into laughter.

"If you don't agree son, you're  _ more than _ welcome to leave." The Chief shot him a fake smile.

Dagon pulled the scarf back over his face and sat back down, arms folded.

"That wasn't an invitation." The Chief hissed.

Two burly guys started to push through the crowd toward him. Dagon shot to his feet and slipped past them toward the exit, finally climbing the stairs into the cool night. Huffing angrily, he turned off the street and into an alleyway, intending to take the route through the woods back home.

But something caught his attention.

There had been guards outside when he entered. Not the burly bouncer guys, but armed guards, at least five of them. There was nobody on the street either. The soft chirping of crickets that made the night seem peaceful raised into obvious red flags. He ducked into a shadow and looked around.

Sure enough, between nearby houses, fruit stands, and alleyways, dark figures were crouched, lying in wait. Police, no doubt.

Adrenaline shot through him, weakening him for just a second, before he forced his brain to work. How can he warn everyone inside without being seen himself? Or should he just jump out, maybe create enough noise to catch everyone's attention inside and dive out of the way when the police come to attack him?

He readied his muscles for that second plan, but the basement door swung open, spilling golden light into the blue night for a few brief moments, before closing again. A tall, muscular man with a black ponytail and gold nose piercing emerged. He briefly surveyed the shadows with his hands folded behind his back. After a moment, he strode confidently away, giving one flick of his hand as a signal. Moments later, the police started to move in on the door.

He thought one of them had caught his eye for a second, and he sprinted back through the alley, diving over a pile of wood pallets and landing expertly in a somersault, without making a sound.

Another sound erupted, however. Screams and shouts that gave way to coughs as tear gas filled the basement, and the only exit, the door, was sealed shut.

Dagon looked frantically for other exits, windows, something, but he'd already been inside and knew there was only one way out. Fists pounded against the other side of the door, as the Black Iris members who had just kicked him out now begged to be let free.

It didn't sound like the police were mounting an attack, considering Dagon didn't see any fire or weapons being used. Maybe they just locked them all inside with the tear gas, so they can arrest them when they pass out. But if Dagon could get there first…

He moved back towards the front of the building, starting to swirl his right fist in a circle. A small ring of flame began to form, and once he had that under control, he expertly twisted his wrist three times quickly. The flames braided together and became one concentrated rope of fire. He continued to swirl it like a whip in one hand as he peeked out around the corner. The police were surrounding the door. Maybe he could…

The first officer yanked the door open a small amount, shot a blast of fire inside, and slammed the door again, before all the officers took off .

Dagon realized what they were doing, almost too late. It wasn’t tear gas.

Dagon was mid-jump when the walls blew outward with the scorching force of superheated air. The initial shockwave threw him toward the woods and into a tree trunk, striking it nearly 8 feet off the ground.

The first wave of flame singed his hair and the leaves around him, before he stumbled up again, clawing at roots to try and draw his momentum forward, and finally got enough leverage to hurl himself to his feet and take off sprinting into the woods before the second blast could ignite.

There wasn't a single scream.

~//~


	20. Hiyori

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The trip to Hiyori Island doesn't go as planned

The boat wasn't comfortable. It was terrifying.

Ennis definitely enjoyed not having people on his back, and seemed more than content with pulling the boat. But inside the boat, the boards creaked under their weight, the boat sat dangerously low, dark water threatening to spilling over, and every movement caused the whole thing to wobble, forcing everyone to rebalance every few minutes. Nobody got a wink of sleep.

So they were ready to kiss the ground when Ennis finally pulled them ashore on Hiyori Island just after sunrise. It was the perfect time to head into town for supplies: most of the shops were open, ready to sell what the fisherman brought in at the end of yesterday's haul, but not too many people were out just yet.

However, the three of them in town didn't look quite as inconspicuous as they'd hoped.

Haider was the only normal looking one, and that's saying something, considering the number of people who still looked twice at him. 

Roh's shirt had small burned patches from the house fire, and despite being submerged in water several times, the black soot in other areas hadn't washed away fully.

Kota tried to smooth her shirt out as best she could, but was mostly unsuccessful. The spare clothes Dagon had grabbed for her were actually his, just a slight bit too big and unmistakably boys clothes. After being frozen, thrown around, escaping through the woods and then thrown around some more two nights ago, her bruises were reaching the peak of their discoloration, so her outfit wasn't the only one looking suspicious.

Let's not even get into how their hair looked.

Roh was surprised by how easily Haider was brushing off all the people who were staring at his right shoulder, where his arm should be. Based on the short time she knew him, she'd assumed he would be challenging everyone who looked twice at him to a fight. But she quickly realized why he seemed so calm about it.

She watched one man who was staring at Haider. Once they passed each other, Haider's left finger curled slightly and a small crack in the dirt street raised for a brief second, just enough to trip the man and send him to his knees, dropping everything he was carrying. Roh couldn't help but laugh.

Finally, they came across something promising: a small store advertising "scrolls, artwork, and more".

"They've gotta have something." Kota said, following Roh inside. She turned back and saw Haider wasn't behind her. "You coming?"

Haider had paused mid-step, watching a man on the side of the road with a small upturned crate and three clay cups. He lifted one cup to reveal it was empty, and collected the small copper pieces from his victim.

"I'll wait out here." Haider grinned, stuffing his hand in his pocket casually and walking towards the man.

Kota rolled her eyes and stepped into the shop, but her friend had already disappeared. "Roh?"

An elderly lady stepped out from behind the counter. "Can I help you find anything, young man?"

Kota turned to her, "Um, I'm looking for a map?"

The old woman was thrown by Kota's feminine voice and face, despite wearing boys' clothes. She eyed her suspiciously. "My apologies, right this way." She led Kota to a shelf near the front of the store, but not before she noticed a slight movement behind a black curtain at the back of the shop.

~

"Listen here, child. Anyone ever tell you there's something special about you?"

This was definitely the type of person Roh and Maita had been warned to stay away from as kids. The old man in the back of the bookstore grinned at her creepily. He was missing several front teeth.

Roh slowly backed away toward the curtain, preparing to firebend at this old man if need be. "Sorry, um, wrong door."

"No! Not like  _ that!" _ He laughed loudly. "I'm an aura reader, I could feel you the moment you stepped into this town. Where are you from?"

"Ren Haru." Roh relaxed a slight bit. She'd heard about aura readers before, and whether or not he actually was one, he  _ was _ right about her being "special".

"Oh! Nearby, huh? Fire Nation native?"

"Yes sir. Are there maps back here, or--"

"Tell you what, child. I've got a little somethin' for a special kid like you." He reached under the table and pulled out a small drawstring sack, no bigger than his hand. Opening it up, he dumped a few small blue crystals onto the counter. "You a firebender?"

"Yes sir."

He lowered his voice as if he were telling a secret, "Listen here. You set these rocks out somewhere, crush them up, and light them on fire."

Roh looked down, confused. "And then what?"

"Blam! Blue fire!" He cackled loudly. "Play tricks on your friends, eh?" He laughed even harder seeing that he'd gotten her worked up thinking he actually had a secret weapon.

She turned to leave, but stopped hard on the ball of her foot, and spun back around. "… You got any of that in green?"

~

"Really? Just the world map and the Fire Nation map? Nothing else?" Kota flipped through the parchment sheets that lay across the dusty shelves. It couldn't possibly be more disorganized if she'd tried.

"I dunno. Maybe something else in there, I'm not sure."

"Thanks." Kota bit back sarcasm and flipped through more sheets, but they were useless. The world map didn't show small, uninhabited islands, and the Fire Nation map didn’t have the Western Air Temple. She needed a general map of the West.

A figure emerged from the dark curtain in the back and rushed to the front of the shop.

"Roh!" Kota watched her friend leave in a hurry. "Could you--"

Outside, Roh marched straight up to the cups stand. Haider sat in front, and had gathered a small crowd with his winning streak. The man running the game looked about ready to shut the thing down.

"I need this." Roh said, snatching a small sack of coins Haider had won so far. She dumped it into the dirt and ignored Haider's shouts as he tried to gather his winnings back together. They were mostly copper pieces, and some silver, but she found one gold piece and snatched it just as Haider reached for it.

"Roh, what the fuck are you doing!?" His words finally reached her ears, but the small crowd who'd been about to defend Haider heard this as well, and realized she wasn't some random stranger robbing him, and backed down.

"It's important." Roh slurred, rushing back into the shop and straight to the back curtain.

She dropped the gold piece on the wooden table, and the old man grinned. "All yours." He handed her a small pouch of green rocks.

She emerged into chaos. Outside the store, a fight had broken out as the scammer tried to gather up his things, including some of Haider's coins, and make a run for it. People started fighting him to get Haider's money back, but other people were now trying to fight Haider, thinking he was in cahoots with the scammer, making it look like the game was easy to win so he could sucker more people in. 

Kota gave up her fruitless search on the maps and headed toward the door, hoping to slip away before the fight got worse. "Roh, I couldn’t find anything. Did you?"

"Um, no. We should get outta here."

"You read my mind." Kota was about to head out the door, but was stopped by a hand on her shoulder.

"Anyone ever tell you there's something special about you?" The old man asked Kota.

Kota expertly twisted his arm away. "Is everyone in this town a scammer?" she shot, before grabbing Roh's hand and forcing her way into the street.

The scene in the street had gotten worse. And Haider looked right at home in the thick of it. He held his pouch of money between his teeth, throwing punches with his arm and occasionally using subtle earthbending to trip someone or throw dust in their eyes.

"Haider! Let's go!" Roh called, but there was no way he heard her.

Kota dipped into the crowd fearlessly, grabbed Haider's arm, and dragged him out to where Roh was waiting. Thankfully, the pouch he held between his teeth kept him from being able to yell at her. He finally twisted his arm away and was about to yell at her, but everyone froze when the loud roar of a komodo rhino split the air.

As the dust settled, three Fire Nation soldiers on komodo rhinos emerged. "You're under arrest!" One of them shouted.

Everyone looked confused. "…All of us?" A small voice said.

"What? No, that one." He pointed.

Everyone parted, leaving a clear path to the trio.

"I didn't do anything! I won this fair and square!" Haider shot.

But these weren't local police. The military wouldn’t be arresting Haider for this. And as they got closer, it was clear they weren't looking at Haider. Roh protectively pushed him back with her arm. "They want me." She whispered, barely moving her lips. "You two get out of here. Get the boat ready, I'll catch up."

"Get her!" The lead soldier yelled, and the komodo rhinos tore towards them.

Kota and Haider sprinted away while Roh put her hands up in surrender.

But the beasts ran right past her. A second later, a pained cry ripped through the air and straight through Roh's heart, and the void it left was replaced with fear and anger.

"Stop!" She screamed, sprinting over to where one of the animals had Kota pinned to the ground, crushing her under one clawed foot.

The soldier dismounted. "Off, boy. Back." The rhino stepped away and the soldier quickly slipped handcuffs onto Kota's wrists. "You're under arrest for arson, manslaughter, and assassination of a political figure." He lifted her to her feet, but it was clear she wasn't quite capable of standing on her own after being stepped on by the horned animal. Dark blood dripped from her nose and the corner of her mouth, and her eyes were glazed over.

"Stop! It wasn't her, it was me!" Roh shouted again, but nobody paid attention. Her plan had been to try and tell them about the rocks, but it was clear nothing was going to get their attention but the real deal.

She pulled a few rocks out of the pouch and tucked the rest deep in her tunic pocket. These grunts weren't gonna listen to reason, but whoever they take her to will probably have more say.

Roh crushed the rocks in her palm and raised her hands toward the soldier who had arrested Kota. It was pretty far-fetched but worth the try. She shot out an extended fireblast from her palm.

The fire started orange, but the soldier only saw the brilliant green it turned into as it struck his face. Roh turned her hand to the sky and let out the rest of the fireblast. It worked. Completely green. 

As the fire burned out and she lowered her hand, everyone on the street was silent. Even the soldiers were shocked. "F-- uh, freeze!" One of them ran towards her while the first soldier unlocked the cuffs around Kota and let her fall to the ground.

Roh, still shocked that it worked, put her hands up and let herself be cuffed. He roughly pulled a sack over her head and threw her across the back of a rhino. "Move out!"

The soldiers and rhinos cleared out as quickly as they had come, leaving a stunned crowd and a very confused Haider.

~

Down at the shore, Roh was lifted from the rhino and walked onto the boat, then roughly shoved into a small wooden crate, where she didn't even have enough room to sit up.

The door to her compartment was slammed shut, and she felt the boat depart from the dock back towards Ren Haru.

Over the course of a minute, her entire plan for going to the Western Air Temple with her best friend and learning the peaceful art of airbending had turned to dust.

She tried to fight the grin creeping in, but couldn't. Her smile turned into a small laugh. Peaceful Air Temple hooey was for people who've never experienced a  _ real _ rush of adrenaline. This is  _ exactly _ where she belonged, not in that pacifist hell.

Kota had been absolutely right that night in the barn. Roh-Shan would have  _ hated _ a normal life.

~//~


	21. Act II: New Mayor's Palace

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oh boy now you get to meet my two favorite dumbass antagonists. Oh a real summary? Ok um. Suley's true intentions are revealed, but are they all that bad?

"Ara!"

A tiny but strong voice woke him from his light nap. He instinctively twisted to move away from the voice, before remembering he was on a hammock. He caught himself just in time to avoid flipping over the edge. But his little sister yanked the blanket he was twisted in, and he flopped three feet to the marble floor. "Unghhhh…"

"Get up, you lazy shit. Did you think I wouldn't catch you? You must be even stupider than I thought."

Just beyond the door, the hallway was bustling with people, all transporting various items from around the mayor's mansion towards the front door. Ara thought he'd found a nice quiet spot on the patio room overlooking the garden and pool where he wouldn't be disturbed. He was wrong about this.

He sat up and rubbed his shoulder where it had connected with the ground. "I  _ was  _ helping earlier."

"Well, the work's not done yet, let's go. Let's go!" She nudged him with her foot.

He struggled to his feet, still fighting lethargy, and flopped right back into the hammock. "Technically, Suley didn't give us direct orders. Therefore, I'm not technically disobeying them."

" _ I'm _ giving you direct orders. Get up."

"You're not the boss of me. I'm older than you."

She flipped the hammock with her foot again, and Ara hit the floor. She may be just a tiny 14-year-old, but growing up in the Fire Navy had given her the skills equal to most full-grown sailors, and a surprising amount of strength. Not to mention the discipline. 

"IDEN! You're a fucking pain in the ass!" Ara got to his feet and dusted off. He glanced around the room, ornately decorated with hand-carved chairs, hand-sewn tapestries, exotic plants, and a couch that had clearly never been sat on. "What's the point of having all this fancy furniture anyway if I can't use it?"

"It's not ours. Now don't make me tell you again." Iden put her hands on her hips.

"What're you gonna do,  _ firebend _ at me?" He teased the non-bender before flinching, waiting for her retaliation strike.

They both well know that despite being seven years younger and a non-bender, she could've easily bested him in any sort of fight he put up, but she turned toward the doorway instead, where a familiar voice traveled down the hall.

A group of police officials walked by, all surrounding one person, each trying to get his individual attention on matters he couldn't possibly handle all at once.

Once they passed, Iden shouted, "SULEY!"

Four seconds later, a head popped into the doorway. The man everyone had been fighting to talk to, summoned in an instant by a teenager.

She gestured for him to step all the way in.

General Suley let out a short sigh and stepped into the room, shooting her a firm look. "What?" He demanded, keeping his professional composure, but it was paired with an annoyed tone.

"Tell your brother to get off his ass and help out."

"Tell him yourself!" Suley shot back, even though he correctly assumed she already had.

"Can't we keep just one of these?" Ara stretched out on the couch.

Suley straightened his back and folded his hands, assuming the professional tone again. "The material riches that Mayor Odei hoarded in this mansion for all these years belongs to the people of Ren Haru. Nobody, not king nor pauper deserves to live in this kind of obscene wealth. No one person needs an empty guest bedroom while someone else goes homeless. This wealth did not belong to Mayor Odei, nor does it belong to us just because I assumed the position of Mayor."

Iden shot Ara an "I told you so" look.

"Selling off this useless crap and returning the profits to the citizens of this city will be the first step in turning Ren Haru into a utopia. Citizens of other nations will be jealous. They'll leave their oppressive rulers and come here to be liberated; firebenders, waterbenders, earthbenders, even airbenders, all living harmoniously. Where else in the world does that exist?"

The younger two siblings thought it was a redundant question, but Suley waited for an answer.

Just as Ara opened his mouth, Suley cut him off. "Nowhere. You're witnessing history being made." Re-energized, he turned and walked back into the hall to continue dealing with other matters demanding his attention.

Ara glanced up at his little sister from where he lay on the couch. "He still didn't tell me to--  _ oof!" _

~

Suley stepped through the front doors of the mayor's palace and out into sunlight. He surveyed the scene before him, pleased. All of Mayor Odei's possessions, large and small, were being loaded onto carriages that would take them to the seaport, where boats awaited. It'd been all too easy to convince the Earth King to buy up most of the luxury items, which he'd agreed to pay a hefty price for without any haggling. And the rest were being sold to independent merchant ships, which were a bit more tricky to haggle with, but with so many independent merchants all vying for the same items, it wasn't hard to ask for a very high price and get it.

A man dressed in scholar's robes ran up to one of the officers carrying a box full of scrolls, and stood in his way.

"Stop! Those are ancient texts! They belong in the library or museum, not with pirates!"

The officer ignored him and pushed past.

"Those are one-of-a-kind! They're priceless!"

This time, the officer laughed. "That's funny Professor, because I could tell you the exact price we're getting for 'em." He hefted the box, jostling the contents around roughly.

The professor grabbed a scroll off the top of the pile and cradled it. "At least treat them gently, please!" He turned and came face to face with the business end of a jagged knife.

"You better be puttin' that back 'xactly where you found it." A pirate threatened.

The professor carefully set the scroll back, very aware of how close the blade was to his throat. He flinched again as the box was jostled when it exchanged hands.

"You got a problem, take it up with the man in charge." The pirate pointed his knife toward Suley.

Sure enough, the professor scurried up the front steps to where Suley was standing. "Sir, you may not know this but those are one-of-a-kind--"

"It doesn't matter what they are." Suley said but the man kept talking, raising his voice as if it would make everyone understand the importance of his words.

"--belong in the library, or in a museum! That knowledge is not yours to sell, it belongs to the people!"

Suley put a hand out. "No. The  _ wealth _ belongs to the people. Professor, would you really rather have some extra  _ knowledge _ while a man dies of starvation on your doorstep? Or would you rather he eat tonight, and every night?"

The professor hesitated, but it came off as defeat, and Suley laughed, which encouraged his officers around him to mock the man as well.

"No, sir! But the knowledge could bring us solutions so nobody ever goes hungry! You could fix the problem at its source, and--"

Suley tapped the elbow of an officer walking past. "This guy's telling me the source of a starving man's problem isn't food."

The young officer watched Suley for cues on whether to laugh or not, quickly catching on that he should. "Ahaa, uh, very good one sir." he stumbled awkwardly, before Suley let him go, turning back to the professor.

"If there's a "solution" in those scrolls, why hasn't anyone implemented it yet? Plenty of your neighbors have died of starvation while this scroll has sat idly by, doing what exactly? Why should tomorrow be any different?  _ Knowledge _ has had its chance to change things for centuries. It's time for  _ action. _ "

The professor moved in front of Suley again, demanding his attention. "Sir, I beg of you, at least sell these scrolls to officials of another nation. Not pirates. Please."

Suley narrowed his eyes. "I'm selling to the highest bidder. Do you have a higher bid than ten thousand gold pieces?"

The professor of course didn't have an answer.

"That's what I thought. Please, be on your way." He gestured for another officer to come over. "Show him away, please."

The officer obliged, although with the unclear instructions he just led the professor away from Suley.

"They're priceless!" The professor shouted back, but he was ignored.

"It's just that way…" The officer trailed off, pointing.

The professor gathered his robes sharply. "I'm aware which way I came in!" He barked, and the young officer scurried away.

As he followed the nearest caravan out the front gates, he watched a loose scroll bounce from the back of the cart and land in the dirt street.

Delighted to at least have one scroll, the professor glanced toward Suley quickly and reached for the scroll. A sharp  _ SQUAWK _ startled him back, a split second before a team of ostrich horses plowed through right where he'd been standing. He watched helplessly as the scroll was trampled by clawed feet, though it still looked intact.

Then the cart they were pulling ran right over it, snapping the spines of the scroll in half. The professor made a choked noise as he could only watch the destruction.

As the dust settled though, he snatched the broken and torn pieces of the unprotected scroll and gathered them into his robe, before continuing on his way.

~//~


	22. Police Station

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Roh has a little more fun than she should...

"Excuse me! Hey!" Roh tightly gripped the bars of her holding cell in the Ren Haru Police Station, pressing her face between the bars and trying to get anyone's attention.

The station was buzzing with Fire Nation soldiers and cops alike. Roh was trying to get the attention of a soldier, hoping maybe one of them would let her talk with a higher-up, and she could show them the green rocks, which had been taken when she was processed, and were locked up in the evidence room.

But it seems even allegedly killing the mayor wasn't enough to garner anyone's attention right now. There was something bigger going on, she just had no idea what. 

"I have important evidence!" She shouted. "I need to talk to someone in charge!" But everyone kept walking past.

"Hey kid, shut the hell up!" A man in the next cell shouted back, matching her volume to mock her.

"Quit drawing attention to us." A deeper voice on the other side of her growled.

"But that's exactly what I need to do! I need their attention! Hey!" Roh shook the bars and called out for a soldier again as one walked past.

He ignored her as well, and once he was gone, a large hairy arm reached over and stilled the bars she was shaking. "Listen to me, kid.  _ If you know what's good for you _ , you'll shut up. Right. Now."

Roh stepped back away from the bars. It almost sounded like a challenge to a fight, which she would gladly accept given how energized she was right now. But none of the other prisoners were cheering them on. It was way too quiet… Why was everyone quiet?

A second later, all the lights blew out.

The silence was split sharply by a blaring siren, and She heard shouts from down the hallway, heading towards the cells, but they never reached them.

Roh caught a flash of a black figure running past, and a few moments later the sound of the metal bars sliding open at the end of the hall. Two more figures wearing all black worked their way down the hallway as well, releasing all the prisoners.

_ Rebels. _

The prisoners joined the group, evacuating the cells without a single sound.

But nobody came for her cell. "Hey! What about--" She whispered loudly, and pulled on the bars before realizing they were already open. Someone had unlocked her door so quickly she didn't even see them.

She followed suit, keeping quiet and making a sharp right out of the holding cell area, although admittedly she wasn't as slick as the other guys, and was disoriented in the dark, running into several different walls. The hallways were deserted.

But while the rest of them ran out the nearest exit, Roh found the stairs down to the basement, where she knew the evidence lockup was.

The basement was just as quiet as upstairs, save of course for the blaring sirens, but it wasn't quite as deserted. She shot a quick fireblast across the ceiling to see where she was going. Bodies of soldiers and cops alike littered the hallway, most of them unconscious but a few were laying in questionably large puddles of blood.

The evidence lockup was open, and blinded by adrenaline Roh didn't really look around before walking in. She shot another blast across the ceiling. The shelves were organized by how recently they were processed, and sure enough, a familiar drawstring pouch sat among a few weapons on the first shelf behind the reception window.

As soon as her hand closed around it, a tall figure moved into her peripherals. She instinctively threw a hand up and caught the man's club before he could bring it down on her.

"I'm not a cop!" She tried to shout over the siren, but her voice rang through the rows of shelves much louder than she intended.

The figure backed down and bolted away.

She turned down another row and saw a smaller black figure at the end. He ran at her, and she grabbed the nearest weapon from the shelf, a hooked metal bar, and raised it at him.

But the rebel jumped at the last second, sailing over her head, and she heard a deep  _ "oof" _ behind her.

She spun around to find the rebel had pinned a cop, who had been right behind her. He delivered an expertly-placed blow to base of the cop's neck, knocking him out cold.

"Thanks!" Roh whispered. The rebel didn't acknowledge her. "Is he dead?"

The rebel shook his head no, and sure enough the cop started to get back up. He held the cop down long enough to wave his arm toward the exit, motioning for Roh to get the hell out of here, but she didn't.

With that lost time, the cop sat up and shoved the rebel into a shelf nearby. The rebel reached up to deliver another blow to the man's neck, ready to knock him out again, but Roh raised the weapon in her hand, and brought it down  _ hard _ on the cop's head.

His arm twitched and he dropped halfway back to the ground, but he moaned and pushed towards her.

He was slow enough. Roh definitely could have gotten away. The rebel was already behind the man, closer to the exit, standing and ready to run but he waited for Roh to run too.

She didn't. She wasn't nearly done.

All thoughts left her brain as she swung the bar. It was purely her muscles controlling her at that point. Her arms, her wrists, her torso, without any inhibitions her brain might have. She had no control and at the same time, she had  _ complete control _ .

The first five blows did the job. The sixth and seventh were for caution. All the rest were gross overkill.

By the time she dropped the bar, her arms and face were splattered with flecks of blood. She looked up to find the rebel still staring at her. She lit up a flame in her palm to see better, and the flame reflected in his eyes. He was horrified.

She took a step towards him and he took a step back. "He's a cop!" She explained. "He's the bad guy!" Why would he be surprised like this? The other rebels had killed the guys in the hallway, why's he looking at her like  _ she's _ the monster? Then she realized she was smiling.

He took another step back, but tripped over the cop's nightstick and fell to the ground, knocking his mask loose.

She stepped forward to help him up, but caught a glimpse of his face in the dim light.

"…Dagon?"

He snatched his mask, stumbled to his feet, and bolted. She tried to follow him but as soon as she rounded the corner, he had disappeared completely.

Stuffing the pouch of rocks into her pocket, Roh quickly made her way out of the police station. She stepped out into sunlight, surprised the exits weren't blocked. But she soon realized why.

Two cops waited on either side of the door, ready to grab whoever came out. Roh quickly raised her arms out to both sides and swept a wave of fire across their faces as they ran towards her. It slowed them down enough to make a run for it, but there were more cops waiting on ostrich horses. There's no way she could outrun one of those. Maybe she could slide under them…

The ground in front of her caught fire, as the police tried to barricade her in. Okay, over. She could jump over them. Dagon had jumped over her with her weapon raised, and that had to be at least six feet. She could jump that high too, right?

Well, no. Turns out being able to jump like that takes practice. She jumped over the fire and her face met the boot of the cop on the ostrich horse. He kicked her hard enough to make her nose start bleeding before she even hit the ground. She landed under the ostrich horse and grabbed its leg without thinking, pulling it hard.

The ostrich tripped and fell into the next one, who fell into the next one, like dominoes, knocking the cops off them too. Roh quickly shot to her feet and grabbed the reins of an ostrich who'd lost its rider. She shot a small fire blast at its tail and it startled to its feet, taking off. Roh hopped on and took over, steering it away from the police station and through the nearby streets, the sound of sirens fading.

Some of the cops had gathered their ostriches and took off after her, but hers was faster since she didn't weigh as much.

She led the chase through the streets, passing stunned citizens, and finally over the town wall and into the woods.

Roh would like to believe it was her expert steering that led her ostrich weaving between trees with surprising speed, but in reality the ostrich was most likely the one responsible for not running himself into a tree trunk.

The ostriches chasing them were similarly skilled but slightly slowed down by the weight of the cops on their back, swaying with every turn.

Roh laughed. Even if they ran at the same speed as her, they were never gonna catch up. Their ostrich horses would tire out faster and she could slip away--

_ thoonk! _

Roh's ostrich stumbled, and she looked down. A green feathered dart stuck out of its rump. He started to slow down.

Okay, plan B. Roh could run--

_ Thoonk! _

Roh didn't need to look where the second one had gone. She felt it in her back. Her arms started to tingle and blackness crept in the corners of her vision.

"No no no… c'mon!" She urged the ostrich on, but it was undoubtedly slowing down. And even if it could keep going, her arms started to go numb and she lost her grip on the reins.

Who cares if she got caught? As long as it meant she got to sleep…

She got one last surge of energy and gripped the reigns for a brief moment, yanking hard to the left where a massive tree had fallen, its roots and dirt leaving a solid wall tall enough to block the cops' vision of her just long enough to…

The ostrich ducked behind the wall of earth and tripped over a fallen branch, going down for good this time.

Roh didn't even touch the ground. Barely able to see as sleepiness clouded everything, she gave one strong blast of air and shot herself far up into the trees, completely unconscious by the time she landed in the crook of a few branches.

~

"Where the-- this way!" The cop had lost sight of the girl, but her ostrich horse was down so she couldn't be far. He immediately redirected his efforts to a large rock about fifty feet away.

But she wasn't there either.

"Did you see her?" His partner asked.

"No. She went behind this thing and…"

They both combed the area around the unconscious ostrich horse. No disturbed leaves she was hiding under, no other obstacles she could be hiding behind, and the trees in this area had no branches near the ground for someone to grab onto. If she'd shimmied up the trunk, they would've seen her.

"Shit. What do we tell Suley?"

The other cop looked around. "Say she jumped off the cliffs, I guess."

~//~


	23. Return to Ren Haru

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kota and Haider arrive in a city they don't recognize

Kota knew where she was before she even opened her eyes. The familiar candle scents, soft sound of swishing water, and the biggest clue, the fact that she was eased into consciousness rather than being jolted awake by anything louder than a whisper.

But based on past experience, she knew it wouldn't be quite so peaceful when she opened her eyes. But she was in a hurry… she needed to get somewhere… she couldn’t remember where though. Or why.

"How much longer is this gonna take?" Haider's voice cut through the peaceful quiet.

She opened her eyes and struggled to sit up, bringing the light wood-panel walls into focus. She tried to tell Haider not to be rude, but more hands gently pushed her back down.

"Don't try to get up yet, sweetie." An elderly woman's voice said, followed by another voice, "Son, if you can't be patient you're welcome to wait in the other room." The soothing voices relaxed Kota again, and she heard Haider huff in annoyance.

Kota was surprised to find the room wasn't spinning. In fact, she didn't feel like throwing up either. The air smelled just like Kunru's house, and she recognized the décor on the wall as Water Tribe. No doubt this was a healing room, but she couldn't remember what she was healing from, and the voice definitely wasn't Kunru's. All she knows is that getting healed leaves you feeling hungover for days. It's worth the sickness considering the kinds of injuries Kunru treats, but still not pleasant.

But Kota felt none of that as she stared at the ceiling. Maybe she just hadn't moved enough yet. Hesitantly, she turned her eyes to her left.

A dark-skinned woman smiled down at Kota. She had the slight creases and smile lines of someone in their fifties or sixties. "How you feeling, honey?"

She felt good. A little ache in her ribs and throat, but other pains she didn't even know she had were gone. Her head was still foggy, though. "What happened?"

The woman drew her hands away from Kota's abdomen, glowing orbs of water surrounding them, and held them over a bucket before releasing the water. She dried her hands on a towel. "You had a few broken ribs, a collapsed lung, a fair amount of blood in your airway--"

"You got stepped on by a komodo rhino." Haider summarized.

The woman nodded. "You're very lucky it wasn't worse. Can you try and sit up? Slowly."

Kota pushed herself up and sat forward, but quickly felt the ache in her ribs. "Ah, shit." She muttered, but it wasn't too bad. On the other side of the mat where she was laying was an elderly woman, one of the voices from before.

"Take it slow, it's okay."

Other than her chest though, she felt okay, which was still surprising. "You healed me?"

Haider scoffed, "Didn't just happen on its own."

"Yeah I know it's just… normally after seeing a healer I get all dizzy and stuff."

The elderly woman nodded. "Kunru. Bless her heart for putting up with being a city healer. But she's not exceptionally good at it. I was lucky enough to study at the North Pole and pass the knowledge down to my daughter and granddaughter, but not everyone could afford the tuition. Dizziness and nausea are side effects of a less skilled healer."

That was great news to Kota. She'd been cautious to move too much, afraid the nausea was just taking a while to set in, but knowing it wasn't going to come at all made her suddenly feel invincible. She sat forward more and looked around for the gray tunic she'd been wearing.

"If you're looking for your shirt, I'm sorry, we had to cut it. It was torn anyway." The woman said. "My daughter found some old clothes of hers that look like your size." She pointed to neatly folded clothes near her feet.

Kota looked down at the tank top and shorts she had on, which at least were her own. She'd been wearing them under her work uniform, and kept them on when she changed into Dagon's clothes. They had been dirt-smudged and slightly bloody, but now were mostly clean. For about the hundredth time in her life, Kota wished she was a waterbender. Not only would healing be super useful, but the ability to wash clothes in an instant without taking them off, like Kunru had done plenty of times, and the ability to draw all the water out so anything wet is dry in an instant, would come in handy way more times than firebending ever does. Her tank top and shorts were stained, but clean. And it comforted her to know Haider hadn't seen her naked while she was unconscious.

That comfort didn't last long, as all the memories of this morning slammed into her all at once. Roh, bending green fire. Roh, being taken away. "We have to go back to Ren Haru." She looked at Haider, itching to leave right now. "That's where they're taking her." Kota reached for the folded clothes they'd gotten her. She stood up, surprised by how good she felt despite the ache in her chest, and pulled on the pants. They were skin-tight and stopped at knee length, and clearly Water Tribe. The top was dark blue, trimmed with strips of light blue and white. It folded in the front and tied off at the waist, and ran about as long as the pants. Still very clearly not Fire Nation fashion. But she didn't care. She located her shoes and pulled them on.

Haider stood up too, more than eager to leave.

"Thank you for the help! Seriously, thank you." Kota bowed to the women, and she elbowed Haider until he bowed as well.

~//~

The boat was gone. It was highly unlikely someone stole the piece of junk, but the spot where Haider had dragged it up onto the rocks was now covered by high tide. And he hadn't tied it down.

Ennis sat sunbathing on a rock nearby, completely oblivious to the importance of the boat. He probably watched it bob away without a care in the world.

"There's gotta be something else we can use nearby." Haider looked around. He snapped his fingers for Ennis to get up.

"Can't you make one with earthbending?" Kota asked, shielding her eyes from the sunlight.

"Cmememe-- NO!" Haider mocked aggressively in a high pitched voice. "That would be way too heavy. We need something made of wood or light metal."

"It was just a question." Kota muttered, stepping down toward the water.

Ennis lazily got up and trudged over to the shore, allowed Haider and Kota onto his back, and glided into the water.

They coasted along, hugging the shore and looking for any type of vessel. They found a few old canoes or fishing boats abandoned on the shoreline, but they were all beyond repair.

It was already going to take probably nine hours to get back to Ren Haru, and Kota was impatient. "Can't he go any faster?"

Haider got defensive, of course. "He's paddling with his paws, how fast do you think he could possibly go? Just be glad he's even helping you."

"He's a waterbender, though."

"What?"

"A Water Wolf, one of the waterbending animals from the arctic. Just like dragons are firebenders, badgermoles are earthbenders. If he can bend the water, I assumed he could go faster than this."

"What? No, you're wrong. Koi fish are the original waterbenders." Haider really didn't like being wrong.

"Yeah, they're the originals, but there are other species that can bend the elements. Like, you know,  _ humans _ ."

"Well, you're still wrong. See? I'll try. Ennis, waterbend." Haider said. 

Kota rolled her eyes. "No, there's a certain command you have to say. I forgot what it is."

"Cool, so I'll just start saying every word combination I know, and we'll see where that gets us."

"They named the exhibit after it at the zoo. Do you remember what that was called?"

Haider though hard. He definitely remembered… "Boat!"

"What? No, that's not it." Kota started, but realized Haider was steering Ennis toward the shore.

Sure enough, an upside-down canoe sat hidden in some weeds. Right in front of someone's house. And they were home.

They pulled up on shore quietly, ducking low, and the two of them tied the harness around the boat before even moving it, to avoid drawing attention until they absolutely had to.

Haider smiled. He figured Miss goody-two-shoes Roh probably would have told them stealing is wrong, but obviously Kota was down for it.

"Ready?" Kota whispered once the knots were tight.

"Go, go!" Haider whispered back. Ennis started forward and they flipped the canoe as it moved, landing properly in the water.

"Hey, stop! Thieves!" A man's voice reached them from the house. Within seconds he was barreling down the yard toward them.

The kids jumped in the canoe as Ennis took his good old time paddling away.

The man reached the shore but they were already too far away for him to swim. But he had another boat, and he had help. Identical heavily-muscled boys hopped into the boat and started rowing furiously. They looked straight off a professional rowing team, and closed the gap between themselves and Ennis with shocking speed.

"Ennis, GO! FASTER!" Haider shouted, but Ennis was unaware of any danger and panted happily.

"Now would be a really good time to remember that exhibit name." Kota said.

Haider frantically scanned through everything he knew about the Water Wolf exhibit at the zoo. His favorite animal that he'd adored for years, why couldn't he remember…

"Lu, um… Lulu?" He tried. Nothing.

The rowing twins had caught up enough to grab the back of the canoe, but Kota kicked his hand away.

"Uh… Loklok?"

Ennis dipped below the water instantly, and another second later they were yanked forward, nearly tossing Haider out the back of the canoe.

Actually, Kota  _ had _ fallen out the back of the canoe. Haider looked back frantically. They were already at least fifteen feet ahead of the other boat, and if he tried to go back for Kota they'd be caught for sure…

He looked down in the rushing water and saw a pale hand barely holding on by a small groove in the canoe's woodwork. He stuck his hand in and grabbed Kota's wrist, pulling her up. She finally got a good enough grip on the side of the boat and Haider helped hurl her back onboard.

"Holy shit!" She laughed, flopping her wet hair out of her eyes. "That's fucking awesome!"

The boys on the other boat shouted furiously at them, but they were barely more than a speck now. Hiyori island receded quickly, and the wind whipped at their faces.

"About how long to Ren Haru now?" Kota shouted over the wind.

"Few hours, tops." Haider laughed, honestly having the ride of his life. He'd never been on anything this fast in his life.

Kota resisted saying 'I told you so'

~

Kota and Haider figured Ennis might tire out after a while, but he didn't. In fact, he seemed to enjoy being underwater more than being above it. He never had this much room in captivity, and thanks to his gills, he didn't even have to resurface until they reached Ren Haru 4 hours later.

But the sight in Ren Haru ripped away any good spirits they might've had. Rows of houses were just flaming piles of rubble now, and those still standing looked empty. Caravans of people and all their belongings were being marched through the streets, away from the city.

The air was thick with the smell of smoke.

"... We  _ were _ only gone for two days, right?" Haider muttered.

They reached the shore and climbed up to the nearest road, where caravans slowly rolled by.

And Roh was right there.

Kota ran to her, but as she turned her head she realized it was probably Maita.

"Kota, what the hell are you doing here?" Maita stepped off to the side of the road. Her mother and grandmother pulled their wagon over just ahead.

"Roh was captured and--"

But Maita wasn't listening. She quickly pulled her scarf from around her neck and threw it over Kota's head.

"You're a wanted criminal, you know that? You can't just walk out in the open like this!" As far as quick thinking and brains go, the world would really have been better off if Maita were the Avatar.

Kota wrapped the scarf around her head and searched the small group frantically, thinking maybe Roh was mistaken about whatever happened, and her father would be here somewhere... but it was only Maita, her mother, and grandmother.

"... I'm sorry." Kota choked out, forgetting her mission for a second.

"Why'd you come back? Please tell me Roh didn't come with you. Please tell me she's far away."

Kota shook her head, still a little dazed, "She g-- she got captured. They probably brought her back here but they think she's me and--"

"What do you mean they think she's you? You let her take the fall for killing the mayor!?"

Kota couldn't form words. Thankfully Haider was close behind her. "There's nothing she could've done anyway. Roh bent green fire."

"..What?"

Kota nodded. "But we're coming to get her back. I swear Maita, I'm getting her back." Her voice was firm this time. "What's all this? Where is everyone going?"

Maita sighed. "Mayor Suley is offering a lot of money and a bigger house to everyone who moves out of Ren Haru. Everyone's relocating to Sarsero, sixty miles East."

"What!? You mean everyone's leaving voluntarily? Just because Suley asked you to? He's corrupt! He's the one who--"

"Kota, shut the hell up. Look, I don't like it either. But we don't really have a choice right now, our house and daycare are just rubble. We just lost  _ everything.  _ You have no idea."

"I... I'm sorry." Kota whispered.

Maita lowered her voice even more, and leaned in, "Look, just go get Roh and do whatever Avatar stuff you gotta do. I don't care. I don't need my mom worrying any more than she already is, she's been through enough. Ren Haru is full of bad memories and corrupt cops, and we just got offered more money than I've ever seen in my life to move somewhere else. We're starting over, okay? We don't need whatever kind of trouble you're gonna bring. I don't wanna see you near us again, got it? Not until things have cooled down. What the hell is the wolf doing?" Maita finished her rant and pointed to Ennis, who was poking his nose in their wagon of burnt belongings, much to her grandmother's horror.

Kota felt like she'd just been stabbed in the gut mid-marathon and then told to keep running. Unwilling to process this right now, she forced her attention to Ennis.

Ennis dragged out piece of cloth, burnt around there edges.

"No! Please," Maita's mother pulled the cloth back. "That was Roh-Shan's blanket. Please."

"Ennis, drop it!" Haider commanded.

The wolf let it go and dropped his nose to the ground, sniffing around. He walked carelessly through a group of people and towards the woods.

Haider and Kota looked at each other. They were both thinking the same thing. They took off after Ennis.

~

They followed Ennis for half an hour. He weaved in and out of the woods, never really looking like he had a clear path.

"I swear, this better be what I think it is." Kota said. "Is he tracking her or no?"

Haider shrugged. "How should I know!?"

Not even 10 minutes later, Ennis barked once, and laid down in front of something.

"Great, he gave up." Kota folded her arms.

"No, I think he found something." Haider climbed through the brush to see what Ennis had stopped at. "Kota, c'mere."

Kota tried not to get her hopes up. She followed, and crouched down next to a leaf.

"What's that look like to you?" Haider asked, thumbing a dark spot on the leaf.

Kota's heart sunk. She didn't want to say it.

"Blood." Haider said for her, though he sounded a tad excited. "He can track her!" He took in Kota's expression. "Look, it's just a drop, I'm sure she's fine. It's a lead, at least. It's okay. We'll find her."

She of course couldn't help but picture the worst case scenario. Thankfully, Haider forced her to keep moving. They followed the bloodtrail deeper into the woods.

~//~


	24. Woods

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Several people are tracking Roh down in the woods... who will get to her first?

The leaves around her rustled. Gently at first, but getting stronger. The branches shook and Roh slipped from the crook she'd landed in. Two figures far below, looking up at her, shook the tree hard trying to get her out. Still foggy, she reached out to grab the branch but she didn't have her grip strength back yet, and she slipped through the branches, plummeting to the ground.

She struck a few branches on the way down, breaking her fall, but the last fifteen feet were freefall, and she landed hard.

"Hnnffff..." She mumbled, and looked up at the two figures standing over her.

"Tie her up." Iden instructed.

"Why do I have to do it?" Ara whined.

"You have the rope!"

"You told me to carry it!"

"Holy shit Ara, it's amazing you can get yourself dressed in the morning." Iden snatched the rope away and started to tie up Roh's wrists behind her back.

But Roh wasn't as helpless as she let on. Just as Iden was about to secure the knot, Roh launched her feet off the ground and flipped herself over, landing on top of Iden, wrists tied around her neck. Roh pulled it tight. "Cut this rope or she dies." She demanded.

Ara shrugged lazily and pulled out a pocketknife, easily slicing the rope on the other side of her wrist.

"THIS ONE!" Both girls shouted at him.

"Oh." Ara cut the right rope this time. 

Roh braced her foot on Iden's back and launched off the second she was free, taking off into the woods. A second later, she felt a familiar pinch in her shoulder. "Shit!" She reached back and pulled the green feathered dart from her flesh but it was already too late. Blackness seeped back in and her legs gave out. She tried another air punch to get herself into a tree again but of course, her airbending is still spotty and completely unreliable.

Iden stepped through the brush and tied the remaining rope around her wrists again. "She really thought she'd done something there, huh?"

"Cute." Ara agreed.

"I can't believe Suley's dumbass officers lost her in a  _ tree. _ It's a miracle his incompetent gang of fuckheads get anything done." Iden finished bounding Roh completely with rope. "You're carrying her."

"Ugh." Ara threw Roh over his shoulder and started back toward the city.

~

Kota took a deep breath, forcing the same thought through her head over and over.

_ Roh is alive. She's okay. _

Whatever injury that blood came from, it wasn't significant because she'd just seen Roh do a backflip over a girl who was tying her up.

"When are we gonna ambush them?" Haider itched with impatience.

"Shh. Wait till they get to a clearing or something. Ennis can't really squeeze through the trees so easily if they run, and he's our upper hand."

"Better do it soon, we're only about a half mile from the road."

Kota looked ahead. "I'll get ahead and distract them, you and Ennis come up from behind."

Haider gave a curt nod, and Kota dashed ahead.

~

"No, a vegetarian is someone who  _ chooses _ not to eat meat."

"Then what's an herbivore?" Ara challenged

"An animal that  _ can't  _ eat meat. Only eats plants."

Riveting conversations from the siblings as they carried the unconscious avatar through the woods.

"But any animal can eat meat if it has to. Like, anyone can eat anything right?"

"No."

"What!? I'm sure if a Komodo rhino really wanted to eat an apple, he could."

"Right but they're not  _ meant _ to."

"The fuck does that mean?"

"it means you don't have a brain, half-wit. They can't digest it!"

"So if a Komodo rhino ate an apple, it would die."

"No."

"Okay, you've contradicted yourself too many times to possibly be right about everything here." Ara huffed, a little exhausted from carrying Roh.

"I'm right!"

"Are not!"

"Are--aah!" Iden fell back as a strong green fireblast struck her from the side.

Ara threw down his cargo and raised his fists, looking around, but he couldn't see anything.

Iden had landed in a low crouch, already prepared for another strike. Her narrowed eyes scanned the foliage, before she leapt at something Ara couldn't see.

Sure enough, Iden had her attacker pinned in a split second, drawing her flattened hand back to deliver a strike to the throat. Before she could do that though, an impossibly large wolf charged over the two girls, knocking Iden off and sending her tumbling through the brush.

Ara spun around just in time to see Haider launch himself from an earthbent column and come flying right at him. He tried to duck but the boy grabbed his lapels and yanked him down, both of them tumbling to the ground.

Ennis grabbed Roh's shirt between his teeth and threw her onto his back, but Iden lunged across the wolf's back, skimming his fur and snagging Roh, bringing her back to the ground. Ennis bared his teeth at Iden but Kota let out a short whistle, signaling Ennis to step back.

She'd lowered her fist by her side and started circling it, gathering a small tight ring of fire. With three twists of her wrist, it turned into a green fire whip, and she snapped her hand out at Iden, who braced her foot off a tree and leapt into a backflip at the last second, the burning whip slicing the end of her ponytail.

Haider was still in a tussle with Ara, but he was losing, since he couldn't hold on and punch at the same time. Ara finally got his feet up to Haider's chest and shoved him away hard into a tree trunk.

Ennis came to his rescue, pinning Ara with one webbed foot over his arm.

Kota threw another blast, lighting up the brush at Iden's feet and trapping her in a ring of fire. Iden backflipped out of it as if it were nothing. She landed on one foot in front of Kota, leaving her other foot perfectly in line to deliver a solid kick to Kota's chest.

She managed to hit just the wrong spot, right where Kota's ribs hadn't quite healed from this morning, and she doubled over, completely unable to breathe for a few long moments.

Iden drew her hand back again for a throat chop, but Ennis stuck his snout between the two girls and lifted, flinging Iden into a tree trunk like a rag doll.

But Iden hadn't been about to throat-chop. She did exactly what she intended. A green feathered dart stuck out of Kota's neck as her eyes slipped shut.

As Iden rolled over, she already had her blowdarts ready, and shot three right into Ennis's side.

Ara recovered from being pinned by Ennis and finally got to his feet, just in time to see Haider flying through the air at him, launched from a column of earth, this time with a right arm made of rock and dirt, reared back in the perfect shape of a fist. He smashed it down over Ara's head, but felt a pinch in his neck.

Within moments, Haider dropped cold to the ground, his rock arm crumbling and skittering across the ground, nothing more than loose pebbles.

"UhhhhHHH!" Ara moaned, rubbing his head.

"Oh shut up, your head is made of rocks anyway." Iden dusted herself off, surveying the bodies strewn across her battlefield.

"So..." Ara started, wincing and struggling to his feet.

"So what?" Iden snapped.

"So if a vegan still eats plants, what if there’s someone who doesn't eat anything that was ever alive, what do they eat?"

"Igneous rocks.”

“And what are they called?”

“Dead.” 

~//~


	25. Suley's Office

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ara and Iden get in trouble.

"What makes you think that girl is the Avatar?" Suley paced behind the mayor's desk, Iden and Ara standing on the other side. Suley had sold the office chairs.

"Don't know for sure." Ara said. He held an ice pack to the side of his forehead, which was already noticeably swelling and red.

Iden stood at attention, arms folded firmly behind her back in respect. "We found the girl in a tree, far higher than anyone could climb. After studying the ground, I believe she airbent her way into the tree. She matches the description of the alleged "floating girl" from the other night, which was likely her in the Avatar state. I also believe she tried to airbend while she was running from us, but it was unsuccessful."

Suley nodded, thinking it over. "Very well. Send her to an Earth Kingdom prison. There's much better security there, and most importantly I don't want the Avatar anywhere near the Fire Nation. I have the cooperation of the citizens; the Avatar is the only one who could possibly mess up my plans now. Especially if Ren Haru is her hometown, then she's already biased against change happening here."

Iden and Ara glanced at each other.

"I thought she was supposed to face trial in the Fire Nation Capital for murdering those four cops?" Ara said.

"Ha! They'll never give the  _ Avatar _ a fair trial. They'll probably give her an award." Suley's boot squeaked as he turned hard on it to continue pacing. "I want you two to personally oversee the transfer of the Avatar out of the Fire Nation, along with everyone who knows she's the Avatar. I'd like them in an Earth Kingdom prison, but I guess do whatever you want with them, so long as they're not here."

"Oof." Ara whispered.

Iden kept her gaze firmly at the wall behind Suley, her posture stiff as a board.

"What?" Suley frowned at Ara. "Why oof?"

Ara smirked and tapped Iden with his elbow. "Why don't you take this one, kiddo?"

Suley turned his hard gaze to her.

Iden swallowed a lump in her throat. "Um, Mayor Suley, sir. The Avatar and the two people with her are currently being transported to the Fire Nation Capital. For trial, sir. We thought that's what you wanted."

"WHAT!?" Suley shouted, causing the other two to flinch. But they held their ground. Suley turned away to gather his composure. "Who is transporting her?"

"The Fire Military, sir." Iden said quietly.

"FUCK!" Suley spun back toward them, sweeping his fist out in anger. Thick black fire swept across the floor, becoming a bright orange color just before it burned out. The flames struck Iden right in the face.

She fell back with a small cry, burying her face in her hands. Ara knelt by her side instantly, ready to protect her if Suley lashed out again. 

Suley closed his eyes and braced his palms on the desk. He let out a sigh, before looking at them again. "Get her back, then."

~//~


	26. Fire Lord's Palace

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The group is put in front of the Fire Lord to have their punishments determined.

The guard took slow, measured steps down the dark corridor, three stories below the Fire Lord's Palace. Small torches lit the rock-carved hallway that led to the holding cells of prisoners awaiting a meeting with Fire Lord Amiron.

Most criminals in the Fire Nation were brought before an appointed judge to face a fair trial. Occasionally, the courts were unable to settle an issue, and it was brought to the Fire Lord. But high crimes such as assassination and treason were usually brought directly to the Fire Lord himself. This guard had never encountered a prisoner in for assassination before in his career. So, making his rounds, he was a tad bit eager to see what this guy looked like.

He rounded the corner and came to a door. He gave a friendly nod to the man guarding the door. They played poker on Tuesdays. The man at the door raised his helmet a bit to say, "Whatever you're expecting in there, this ain't it."

That of course only intrigued the guard further. He stepped through and made his way down the stairwell and another few hallways to reach the holding cell.

Inside the large cell were three kids. A one-armed boy sat off to the side, biting his fingernails. On the other side of the cell, two teenage girls sat fairly close, whispering about something.

They all looked up at him as he stopped before them. He briefly glanced around the room. There  _ had _ to be someone else, right?

The boy bared his teeth at him. "Whatta you looking at?"

The guard just shook his head, and carried on back down the hall toward the stairs.

~

"The blood must've been from my nose earlier. I promise, I'm not injured." Roh reassured Kota, holding her hand firmly.

"Okay." Kota didn't break eye contact. She lowered her voice, "Did you hear what Suley's doing?"

"Which time?" Roh rolled her eyes.

"He's paying everyone to move to Sarsero. He promised them bigger houses and a huge payout. I already saw him razing the empty neighborhoods. He's planning something big with that land. I saw your family moving out."

"What? My family's leaving Ren Haru?"

"I mean, Maita said there's not much left. Your house and belongings were mostly destroyed in the fire, and all that's left is rubble and bad memories."

Roh looked down at her lap, the memory still freshly painful. "I wouldn’t think they'd go as far as Sarsero, though."

"Roh, whatever he's up to, it's not good. We gotta tell Amiron, before he destroys the city."

"Alright. We'll tell Amiron as soon as he sees us. I'm the Avatar, he has to listen."

~

"The Avatar?" Fire Lord Amiron laughed. "Like I haven't heard that one before."

"No really, she is! She can prove it!" Kota insisted.

Amiron looked at Roh. She, Kota, and Haider were in the empty grand room, standing before the Fire Lord's throne. "Well, prove it then."

"Um… I can't."

"Shocker."

Even Kota looked disappointed in her. "You're not even gonna try?"

"Ok fine!" Roh stepped forward. Her hands were still tied in rope but they were in front of her. She stretched her arms out to the left, producing an impressive fireblast that dissipated into the air, then did the same thing reaching toward her right, but nothing came out. "Um, I really… it's only been in emergencies before."

"Tell you what, "Avatar"" He made air quotes, "You'll have plenty of time in prison to work on your airbending. If you prove you're the Avatar, I'll reduce your sentence to 10 years."

"What!? Ten years?"

"Well, it's 40 right now."

Kota stepped forward until she was just past Roh. "Hold on a minute, sir. You're telling me that you're sending her to prison for  _ earthbending _ four people to death, while also watching her firebend, and you're denying that she's the Avatar?"

"The reports tell me that wasn't a feat of earthbending, it was witchcraft."

"She split the ground apart with her hands, then pushed it back together and you think it's more likely that was  _ witchcraft _ than earthbending?"

"Like I said, if she proves she's the Avatar in prison, I'll reduce her sentence. But I have to show the world that not even the Avatar is excused from murdering innocent people."

" _ INNOCENT PEOPLE!?"  _ Roh shrieked, tears springing to her eyes. "They killed my dad!"

Amiron looked like this was new information, but he didn't seem too fazed by it. "They kill him, you kill them, someone else kills you, where does the cycle end? Murder is not the answer to murder. I stand by my decision. 40 years."

"At least listen to me about what Suley's doing in Ren Haru." Roh begged. "He's going to destroy the city. He's forcing everyone out of their homes--"

"Forcing them how?"

"Um… he's paying them…"

"So they're deciding to leave. Is he  _ making _ anyone leave who doesn't want to?"

"Not that I know of, sir. But this isn't right. We have strong suspicions that he killed Mayor Odei. Please, I'm begging you, you don't even have to listen to me, just investigate it. Have the military look into it."

"Listen, child. The Fire Military is stretched pretty thin right now. Enrollment is down. We don't have spare troops to send around, and I'll be honest, we most definitely don't have the power to fight the Ren Haru Mayor and his Police Force right now, even if he  _ was  _ committing a crime. So long as he's not hurting citizens, the Fire Nation is not going to interfere."

Roh sunk to her knees. She was pretty sure she wouldn't end up actually staying in a prison for 10 years, in fact she was already planning an escape in her head. The biggest concern was that she would now have to fight Suley without the help of the Fire Nation Military. How the hell is she gonna manage that alone?

"What about her?" Roh sighed, gently bumping her arm into Kota's leg. "Will you at least hear me out about the green fire thing?"

He sighed as well, like he had better things to be doing than talking to some teenagers. "No. The punishment for assassination is already set, it's not my decision. Guards, I'm done with them."

Three guards stepped out of the shadows and towards the kids.

Kota stayed planted. "What's the punishment?" She asked weakly.

"Execution." He took in her expression. "I assumed you already knew."

"Wait, no! I have evidence she didn't do it!" Roh said, pushing away from a guard who was trying to grab her ropes.

"Right here?"

"Yes, I have evidence right here!"

"…Very well. Guards, hold up."

The guards released the kids and Roh reached into her pocket. Kota and Haider still had no idea what she was doing. Roh pulled out the pouch of rocks. "Kota, put out that torch over there and light it with your fire." Roh pointed to a torch mounted on the wall.

Kota didn't move. She'd nearly died trying to avoid showing other people her green fire, now Roh wanted her to do it out in the open? In front of the Fire Lord?

"What are you waiting for? Do it."

"No."

Roh looked at her, surprised. "What? Why?"

"I can't."

"I don’t have time for this." Amiron said. "Guards!"

"Wait! Kota, do you trust me?"

Kota searched Roh's eyes. The truth is, no, she doesn't quite trust her. But she believes in her. She believes Roh knows what she's doing. Kota stepped over to the torch and pinched the flame out, then produced a small green flame in her hand and relit it. She stepped back, feeling lightheaded. There was no denying anything now.

"Watch this." Roh said firmly to Amiron. She pulled out a few green rocks and approached his throne. "Hold out your hand."

He frowned at her with strong suspicion.

"Please."

He hesitantly opened his hand.

Roh crushed the rocks in her hand, and spread the dust across his open palm. She stepped up to another torch and pinched it out, then sprinkled some green rocks on it, and relit it. It lit up in green, a slightly more emerald hue than Kota's softer green.

Amiron and the guards all looked back and forth between the torches.

"Try it." Roh nodded to him.

Amiron reached out his hand and let out a small stream of fire. It was green as well.

"Now watch." Roh pointed at Kota's torch on the wall. Nothing happened at first, but eventually it slowly faded from green to orange. The second torch remained green. "Anything she lights on fire eventually turns orange, because it starts to burn whatever fuel it's drawing from, rather than Kota herself. The green rocks though, they stay green because the rock dust seeps into its fuel, tainting the whole thing. She couldn't possibly have set the zoo and palace fires, because those fires stayed green. It could've been anyone who has access to these rocks. But it couldn't have been her."

Amiron looked down at the three of them. Even Kota was surprised by this. She's done a fair amount of firebending, but it always involves fireblasts or other maneuvers generated directly from herself, not anything that burns for an extended period of time. She wasn't even allowed to light the candles in her own house, her father insisted on using matches so he wouldn't have to see her and Dagon firebend. And the few times she has set a small fire that burns long enough to turn orange, she didn't think much of it. She knew it was probably the fuel, but didn't put two and two together, relating to the zoo and palace fires.

"Alright. Your case will go to trial, with the green rocks submitted as official evidence. But "avatar" girl is still doing 40 years."

Kota wanted to cry with relief, and Roh was already itching to see her new holding cell, so she could start figuring out how to break out.

"What about me?" Haider spoke up. "I don't know either of them, I had nothing to do with any of this. Can I go?"

"If you're not an accomplice then why were you with them?"

Haider shrugged. "Wrong place, wrong time?" He offered.

Amiron waved his hand dismissively. "Fine. Go. You've wasted enough of my time."

~//~


	27. Jailbreak

The small torch light burned out, encompassing the jail cell in darkness in a split second, replacing the light with the faint wispy smell of candle smoke.

The inspiration to fight back was gone. For 3 straight days, Kota has been on the offensive. Escaping the police, stealing a boat, attacking Roh's captors, and walking herself and Haider directly back into the city they were trying to run from. In some ways, the action felt good. Teachers had always remarked that she had a "rebellious side" or a very "active spirit" which everyone knows are just kinder terms for troublemaker, but really, she'd never meant to cause trouble or harm directly. Rather, she was trying to test everyone's boundaries. See just how far they could be pushed before they snapped at her. Once she found that line with each person, she'd play within those parameters but never cross it again. These past few days however have involved sprinting across people's lines and being snapped at constantly. The police, the boat owners, the captors, even Maita. At first it felt freeing. Unlike Roh, she's mostly insensitive to being yelled at. This whole experience felt like provoking a beating, but instead of cowering and waiting for the hits, she realized for the first time she could run from them.

But anyone who's lived long enough in this world knows that things catch up eventually. And that's what killed her desire to keep fighting. She's never been in a fraction of as much trouble as she's in now without facing physical consequences, usually at the hands of her father. Her body was instinctively preparing to be hit but she had absolutely no idea where the strike would come from, and when.

And there was one line she'd crossed that she definitely couldn't run from. She'd kissed her best friend. And nobody brought it up since. Granted, they've been pretty busy, but there's been times when Roh could have said something. And her silence sent a perfectly clear message: she wasn't interested. Kota had finally worked up the courage to show her how she felt, and now she considered herself lucky Roh still wanted to be her friend.

Still wound up and waiting for that strike.

So when she heard a small footstep and a breath just outside her small cell, she felt like she might pass out from fear. She froze up, listened hard, and flinched away from an invisible person standing over her.

"It's me." The faintest whisper from the left reached her ears, and she turned her head in the darkness, but of course, couldn't see anything. She knew the nearest guards were at least around the next curve of the hallway.

She lit up a small flame in her palm to see better. Sure enough, Haider was crouched right outside the cell. As soon as she saw him, she put out her flame so she didn't draw attention. He pressed his palm to the rock wall next to the lock, and a few moments later, the rock crumbled into sand, falling silently to the floor and exposing the entire locking mechanism.

Not silently enough.

"Hey! Who's there!?" A guard rounded the corner and shone his torch at Kota's cell. The small, incriminating pile of sand sat on the ground, but the guard didn't seem to think anything of it. He reached Kota's cell and saw her sitting near the back, head leaned against the wall. "You hear something?" 

"Light blew out." She gestured, her voice just as defeated as she looked.

The guard nodded, unsure. He poked his head into a few of the cells near her, all of which were empty. "Well, that's all you get. I'm not lighting it again for you." Apparently he didn't even know she was a firebender. Seeming satisfied, he headed back down the hall.

After a few minutes for good measure, Kota tested the bars. At first, they stayed put. But with a little pressure, one last big chunk of rock tumbled out of place. Kota held her breath for the loud sound.

But it didn't make a sound. The large chunk hovered one inch off the ground. Haider crawled out of hiding from the empty cell next door, where he'd earthbent a hole into the wall to stay hidden. He snatched the rock out of midair and carefully set it to the floor. He tugged Kota's hand to follow, and crouch-walked quickly down the hall, in the opposite direction the guard went.

Kota may not feel like fighting her way out, but she wasn't about to turn down someone willing to fight for her. She followed silently. Once they were out of her unit, she whispered, "They're keeping her somewhere below us, that's all I know."

Haider nodded, forming a plan in his head. "I know where the stairs are."

Turns out, whoever built the holding cells beneath the Fire Nation palace weren't expecting earthbenders. Haider certainly wasn't the best earthbender but he still managed to camouflage himself and Kota into the wall when a guard walked past. This worked a few times, but as they got lower through the levels, there were no more guards.

This should have raised their suspicions.

Two of the four sub-palace levels were marked as "cells". They worked through the first one with no luck. The second one was the very lowest level.

Haider led the way, his footsteps completely silent, a skill that only comes with practice. Kota's shoes crunched occasionally in the dirt, much to Haider's annoyance. But with each corner Haider poked his head around, there were no guards whatsoever. He started to walk more freely as they passed rows and rows of empty cells.

"What if they brought her somewhere el--" Kota whispered, but Haider's hand flew up, signaling her to be quiet.

They both froze as they heard a hissing sound, just around the turn to the left. Haider motioned to keep low as they crept toward the sound. Down that hallway, the torches were all blown out. More lights flickered up ahead, but the section they were in was pitch black.

The hissing sound got louder, along with a soft cursing in a familiar voice.

"Roh!" Kota whispered, rushing forward, but as soon as she did, she tripped over something on the ground and fell to her elbows. She looked back in fear, even though she couldn't see. She already knew what she felt. "Is that a body?"

Haider was already feeling around the belt of the unconscious figure, his hand finally landing on an object that made a soft metal  _ clink. _

"Is someone there?" Roh called

Kota continued on, a little more cautious, toward the lit section of the hallway, where her friend's voice was coming from. She emerged into the light, right in front of a relatively long section of bars, compared to the tiny closet-sized cells they'd seen so far. "Hey! Roh!" She whispered.

"Kota, what are you doing? Get out! I'll find my own way out!"

"Good to see you too!"

Roh rolled her eyes. "You should be getting yourself to safety, I got this." She gestured to the bars near the lock, which were hot red. She held her wrist steady with one hand while she aimed two concentrated fingers at the bars, the heat against metal creating a hissing sound as smoke rose. She'd cut through a few bars, but hadn't made much progress.

Haider caught up with them, going straight for the lock. "Step back." He commanded, as they both saw what he had in his hand. A ring of keys. Within moments, he clicked the right key into place and slid the doors open.

"Excellent. One sec," Roh ran to the back of her cell.

"What the hell are you doing? Let's go!" Haider urged.

"I made weapons." Roh picked up a few small objects. Kota ran in after her, to help carry some. "Just some sharpened rocks, but they might come in handy for taking out guards."

Haider waited in annoyance as the girls gathered the last few rocks into their pocket. He stayed just outside the doorway, one foot blocking the door from closing. On some levels, he wasn't surprised the girls were dumb enough to run  _ back into _ a jail cell.

Suddenly, he felt a few quick taps on his back, making it arch, and a small sound escaped his mouth, grabbing the girls' attention. His arm and legs tingled weakly and the keys fell from his hand. A foot planted on his back and shoved him inside. The girls jumped over him towards the door, but they weren't fast enough. With his face in the dirt, completely paralyzed, he heard the cell door slam shut.

Roh yanked hard on the cell door, but it was already locked again. "Who the hell are you!?" Roh challenged the two figures standing in the hallway, already raising her hands for a bending fight.

Kota took a better look at them. "What the hell are you two doing here!" She recognized the unmistakable figures of the duo from the woods earlier. Now standing next to each other, they looked like a mismatched pair, with at least a foot height difference, the shorter one with fire in her eyes, and the taller one with dull eyes looking way too relaxed for the situation.

"You know them?" Roh asked.

"They kidnapped you yesterday."

Roh's eyes widened. "From the woods! You tranq'd me!"

The boy shrugged. "Give us some credit, we tranq'd all three of you."

"I," The girl spat, "tranq'd all three of them. You got hit with a rock."

"Whatever."

Kota knelt next to Haider, linking her arm under his and turning him over so he was laying across her lap. "Hade, you okay?"

"Oh, thanks for finally noticing." Haider grumbled.

"What did you do to him!" Roh was nearly shouting.

"Relax, she just chi blocked him. It'll wear off." Ara said.

"Don't tell them!" Iden backhanded him in the stomach, making him double over.

"Ow!"

Haider was starting to get some feeling back in his limbs. He pushed Kota away. "You guys were following us in!?"

"Don't flatter yourself, we were here well before you. Why did you think it was so easy to get the keys? We practically planted them for you." Iden crossed her arms and grinned.

Roh turned to her friends. "What are they talking about? Where'd you get the keys from?"

"…The unconscious guard." Haider admitted.

Roh looked shocked. "You found an unconscious guard and you couldn't tell it was a  _ trap! _ You thought he just passed out for no reason, and it was your lucky day!?"

"These three are hilarious." Iden said to Ara, loud enough for everyone to hear. "Adorable."

Haider slowly started to get up. Roh and Kota made eye contact. "Now." Kota whispered.

They both whipped the sharpened rocks out of their pockets and threw them hard at the duo, hoping to at least distract them.

It takes a certain skill level to miss the wide gaps in the bars, but they did it.  _ Every single one _ of the rocks struck the bars and bounced right back into the cell.

Ara actually joined Iden in laughing that time. "Alright, let's get them out of here." He pulled some tranq darts from his pocket.

Really, it couldn't be done twice if he tried. All six of his tranq darts hit the bars, one of them flying back straight at his foot, but he jumped back at the last second.

This time, Iden wasn't just being mean when she said, "This is hands down, the most pathetic thing I've ever seen." She pulled a small canister from her back pocket and pulled a pin, reaching her arm through the bars so she could directly drop it inside the cell.

Smoke started to spill out of it, and Iden pulled a small mask from her pocket as well, sealing it over her mouth and nose.

Ara looked completely lost, but it quickly turned to fear. "What is  _ that _ ?"

"Ara, put your mask on."

Ara just stared at her.

"You've gotta be fucking kidding me."

"I didn't know you had that!"

Iden looked down as the small smoke canister hit her foot. She looked back up to see Haider stepping away from the bars, already coughing but looking right at her. She held her arms out in a 'what' gesture. "You know the gas is gonna get to you no matter where this thing is, right?"

Roh and Kota stayed low to the ground, coughing as well, trying to stay below the smoke for as long as they could.

Haider smashed his fist to the ground, trying to earthbend a tunnel, but the his bending was still weakened from the chi blocking.

The gas started to encompass the whole area.

"Ara, you better fucking start running because if you pass out I'm leaving you here." Iden snapped.

Ara turned and ran down the hallway.

The other three were all on the ground now, nearly unconscious.

Iden brought the keys over and unlocked the door, ready to start dragging them out.

Without warning, a forceful gust of wind blew the door wide open the moment she unlocked it, and a sphere of air formed around Roh, Kota, and Haider's heads. Drawing fresh air from a vent in the wall, Roh maintained the swirls long enough for everyone to get the gas out of their systems. The three of them were on their feet within seconds, and just as Iden reached to lock the door again, she was blown roughly into the opposite wall by another gust of wind.

Roh, Kota, and Haider ran from the cell and down the hallway toward the stairs, the spheres dissipating as soon as they were far enough from the gas. As they rounded a corner, Ara leapt out and grabbed Roh around the waist, taking her down.

A well-placed burst of rock socked him in the stomach, loosening his grip and throwing him backwards. Roh recovered quickly while Haider grinned, glad to have his bending back.

But Iden wasn't far behind. The siblings were just a few paces back as they reached the stairs. Slamming the door behind him, Haider bought himself a little time.

As the girls bounded up the stairs, Haider stopped and turned back, slamming his open palm against the dirt wall. A small ripple of earth ran in a line along the wall, knocking out a torch on its way, darkening that section of the stairwell. As the ripple reached Iden and Ara, Haider pulled his hand away in a scooping motion, and the dirt wall at the end of the line caved in, completely blocking their path from floor to ceiling in dirt and rock. He turned and sprinted up the stairs.

At the top of the stairwell, the girls had found the tunnel Haider used to get in earlier, and the three of them bear-crawled through it as fast as they could to the surface. They emerged onto the street, breathing fresh air and seeing clearly through the night as their vision had been adjusted to the darkness below. Haider caved in the tunnel he'd made, and followed Roh, who was signaling them to duck behind a nearby building.

All three of them leaned against the wall as they caught their breath. 

Kota slumped against the wall and swallowed hard. She recognized that their escape was completely Roh and Haider's doing. She was practically just deadweight, and if it had gone any differently it would have been her fault. Even in the face of danger, her fears kept her from giving 100%. She was just glad neither of them seemed to notice.

"Alright, we need a place to hide out and figure out what to do next." Haider said in a serious tone, but his eyes practically sparkled with excitement. He'd always had to create this kind of action for himself, by stealing and sneaking away from home. But now it was coming right to him,  _ and _ he had two people under his command that depended on him. It was a dream come true, at least for now.

Roh nodded, but she looked exhausted. "I'm sure there's an abandoned building somewhere outside the city." Honestly, she wasn't sure if she could make it that far. She's not in shape at all. Kota was strong from all the heavy-lifting and physical work she does at the barn, and Haider clearly has been practicing advanced earthbending moves, which is a lot of physical work as well. Roh does what, changes diapers? Not exactly strength training.

"We should definitely get out of the city, those freak kids aren't the only ones who are gonna be looking for you two." Haider pointed out.

"I take offense to that." Iden's sharp voice startled the three of them and they sprung to their feet, but couldn't see her.

"I don't know, Iden. I kinda like the term 'freak'" Ara said. "I think we should own it." His voice clearly came from the end of the alleyway where he stood behind a dumpster. As all three of the kids stared at him, he realized he wasn't being as stealthy as his sister and stepped out into the open, trying to make it look like he meant for them to see him.

"How the hell…" Haider muttered.

Iden dropped from the roof above, landing perfectly in front of Kota, stepping right up to her and holding a sharpened blade to her throat before anyone could make a move. "Doesn't matter how, does it? The point is, the police are currently one block away on both sides of this alley, and they'll be standing right where you are in about thirty seconds." Up close, Kota noticed a small bandage on Iden's jaw. 

Roh didn't dare to move, seeing how the blade was actually touching Kota's skin, but Haider was ready to make a move. Obviously, Iden wanted them for something so he was pretty sure she wasn't going to kill Kota, until Iden said this:

"We're under orders to bring the Avatar to an undisclosed location, and to get rid of anyone who knows about her. So just know that our jobs would be a lot easier with you  _ dead _ , but lucky for you we're not outright killers."

Roh wondered if that killer part was somehow directed at her.

Ara was already quietly lifting the cover off a manhole.

Iden leaned in closer, an inch from Kota's face. "You can come with us now, or wait and face the police. Your choice." She pushed off Kota's sternum, giving her one last good shove into the wall, and stepped back, replacing the blade to its sheath on her waist.

Sure enough, a voice just a block away shouted "Clear!", and several sets of footsteps moved closer.

Ara jumped into the manhole, dropping down into darkness. Iden looked at Roh, then Haider, then Kota again. "Have fun at your execution." She stepped backward, disappearing into the manhole as well.

Haider looked up at the other two, and saw their hesitation. "You're kidding me, right? You're not actually considering staying here are you?"

Neither girl answered.

Haider grabbed Roh's arm and pushed her toward the hole, then looked at Kota. "Go! You too!"

"I heard something over here!" A cop's voice called, his footsteps running closer now. He rounded the corner of the alley and took in the sight. A few others gathered behind him.

"What did you hear?" They all took in the sight of an empty alleyway, a small manhole in the middle, cover in place.

"Uh… nothing. Keep moving."

~//~


	28. Sewer

The sewage tunnel seemed endless, and the ledge was less than two feet wide, causing the occasional slip and close call. Kota lit up a flame in her palm to see where they were going, but her light mixed with the green-tiled walls cast everything in an awful green glow.

Ara and Iden led the way silently at a near running speed, but the others weren't quite so sure on their feet.

They also weren't exactly dumb enough to follow the people who kept trying to kidnap them. Roh slowed and turned back for a brief moment. "What if we go the other way?" she whispered.

"It ends at the palace in that direction, feel free to walk right back into the Fire Lord's shit. Literally." Iden called back.

Roh hesitantly turned and carried on, a little impressed that Iden even heard her.

After running for what felt like forever, Roh spotted blue sky up ahead, and felt the slightest bit of a cool breeze moving in. Ara slowed and came to a stop. Iden stopped sharply behind him, nearly making Roh slide right into her. Kota stopped as well, pedaling her arms to stay balanced.

Haider wasn't so lucky. He realized too late that everyone was stopped, and tried to pull his arm across his chest for balance, but without both arms, his body was still unbalanced. He fell towards the brownish, chunky water, letting out a "Waah!"

Kota tried to grab his shirt, but he was too far gone. She let go and balanced herself out, only getting splashed as Haider went fully under.

Roh just gagged, and Iden laughed.

A second later, his head popped up. "Help! Someone get in here! I can't swim!" He thrashed his arm wildly, slipping under again.

Iden kept laughing. To everyone's surprise, Ara sighed and jumped in, landing on his feet in the waist-high water. He reached down and pulled Haider up by his shirt. "Stand the fuck up, kid."

Haider realized how shallow it was and stood on his own, swatting Ara away and trying to spit away the liquid around his lips. Realizing his hand was just as covered in crap, he quickly reached for Ara again, wiping his face on Ara's shirt where it hadn't touched the water yet.

"Ew, stop!" Ara shoved him away, and Haider's foot slipped and he disappeared under the surface again.

He came back up spitting and screaming in horror, which bounced around and echoed through the tunnel. It mixed nicely with Iden's near-uncontrollable laughter. She doubled over, wheezing, and sat down fully, dipping her feet in the water.

Roh gagged again.

Kota finally saw what was happening. Just ahead, the ledge narrowed until it was gone altogether. They would have to walk the rest of the way.

Iden caught her breath and pushed off the ledge. Being considerably shorter than her brother, the waterline reached her mid-chest. They both started trudging through the water towards the end of the tunnel.

Haider waited for the other two, still spitting. He couldn't even open his eyes.

Kota shrugged and sat down on the ledge, ready to slip in like Iden had.

"Wait!" Roh grabbed her friend's shoulder, her other hand flat against the wall. "I can't."

"You have to. C'mon, same time." Kota urged, glad Haider was too preoccupied to make some comment about it. She held Roh's hand as Roh sat down also. "One, two," Kota didn't wait for three, and instead let go of Roh's hand and pushed on her back, forcing her into the water.

Roh screamed as they both slipped in, but caught her balance. She got her bearings and looked at Haider, and gagged again, the sound causing Haider to gag also.

Kota could see why Iden had been laughing so hard. "What's the problem? You deal with diapers and spit-up all day!" Kota pointed out.

Haider gagged again at those words. "Stop!" He choked.

"It's okay when it's babies. This shit probably came from the bowels of fat old men." Roh said.

Even Haider seemed surprised that he held it together that time, forcing back tears though. He still hadn't opened his eyes.

"Just pretend it's catagator food." Kota said.

That put him over the edge. Haider braced his hand on the slimy wall and vomited into the sludge water. It looked exactly like the rest of the water.

Kota pushed her way over to him and put a hand on his back, directing him to the dry part of her shirt shoulder. He wiped desperately at his eyes, then mouth and nose, finally gasping in a deep breath and looking around.

"It's in my shoes!"

"C'mon." Kota patted his back and urged them both forward, seeing that Iden and Ara were just distant figures, almost at the end of the tunnel by now. She lowered her voice, "Don't let them out of our sight."

As they neared the end though, Iden and Ara disappeared. The kids soon realized why. A current started to tug around their knees, threatening a freefall if they made one wrong step.

Kota turned back to the other two. "Roh, hold my left hand tight." She grabbed Haider's hand.

"Why?"

"There's a waterfall ahead."

"A  _ what!" _

Haider had noticed the current too, but was too queasy to make a comment.

Kota gripped each of their hands so she was in the middle. "Lift up your feet."

"What?"

"The current's gonna take us at some point no matter what. Better to go with the flow now than try and fight it."

As much as Roh hated the idea, she was getting lightheaded from the fumes. Hesitantly, she lifted her feet. Haider and Kota did the same, and within moments they were drifting quickly down the tunnel together.

They hadn't anticipated the current rotating them around, though. Roh started to panic as she bumped the opposite wall, facing away from the exit now. "Kota, if we go over a waterfall of shit backwards, I'm gonna execute you myself."

The current picked up. They couldn't stop now if they tried. The sound of the short waterfall ahead was unmistakable. "Get ready to hold your breath." Kota instructed. They were almost turned the right way now.

"I can't swim." Haider said weakly, near passing out from the fumes as well, despite the fresh air flowing in above them.

"That's why we're holding hands. Don't let go."

"Is my hair gonna get wet?"

"Yes." It sounded like the waterfall was right behind them now, but the current kept going, the sound of rushing water growing into a roar.

Haider bumped the wall again and they spun facing forward again, just in time to taste the fresh air and see their feet go over the brink.

"HOLD ON!" Kota shouted midair, while Roh and Haider just plain shouted.

The water pounded on their heads as they plunged beneath the surface, being pushed farther down from the force of the water above them. Kota kicked hard, trying to pull the other two away from the force of the falls. It felt like puling deadweight, even though Roh was kicking too.

The deep water was only beneath the falls, eroded away from years of forceful water. They soon reached a shallower part, and Kota pushed off the sandy floor towards the surface.

As soon as Roh surfaced also, Kota let go of her hand and pushed toward Haider, wrapping an arm around his waist to pull him above water also. He was still groggy from the fumes. A new current of waves pushed them toward the shore, and their feet soon struck sand again, pushing them up onto the beach.

All three of them collapsed onto the sand, the sewage mostly washed off of them by now.

Haider wasn't moving.

Kota quickly sat up and pounded her fist on his back until he started coughing, seawater spilling from his mouth and nose. He panicked as he tried to draw in small breaths, which only drew small water droplets further into his airways. Kota sat him up and kept patting his back while he reflexively coughed so much he felt like he was going to pass out, unable to draw more air in.

"It's okay. You're okay. Breathe." Kota kept rubbing his back.

That comment was way too easy, and Haider couldn't resist a smart-ass retort. That’s what inspired him to finally draw in enough air to gasp, "No fucking shit." 

While Haider was still catching his breath, two familiar figures snuck quickly up behind Roh and Kota, holding wet rags over their mouths and noses. Within seconds, both girls lay limp.

Haider was basically powerless as they brought another rag to his face.

~//~


	29. Sarsero

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Maita tries to adjust to her new town, Dagon resists telling her what he saw at the police station.

This was all wrong. It was wrong because it was right. And that, should be wrong.

Maita's new bedroom was spacious, but there was only one bed.

Her mother's bedroom was beautiful, and had its own bathroom, a skylight, and a bed for two but only half of it used.

Her grandmother's bedroom was bare, uncluttered. It had no scrolls and clay figures and knick-knacks from half a century of collecting, none of the little familiar sculptures and stones she and Roh remembered from their childhood.

Their kitchen had so many more features than their old one, but there were three chairs instead of five.

All these things that  _ should _ be there… things that weren't… it should feel wrong. But it didn't.

She was old enough now that she should have her own bedroom, instead of sharing everything with her twin sister. Everything about her old house drew her right back to the image of a circle of dark red blood spreading across her father's temple. The floor bloody. The roof busted open. And flames that spread to each item individually, like fifty tiny fires agreeing to destroy everything at the same exact time.

A strong bender could have subdued the flames, but there were only a few of those in all of Ren Haru. And besides, the flames aren't what took her father.

It felt good to recall her old memories as consumed in flames. They can't drag her down if they're just ash.

And everyone knows ash feeds the soil and provides nutrients for whatever is growing in the future. Everything in Sarsero was fresh and bright and new.

So yeah, she felt a little bit guilty for loving it.

She walked down rows and rows of beautiful houses, with happy families inside, lush green yards and stone-paved streets. To be honest, she truly was surprised that Suley delivered on his promise. Sure enough, each family got their stack of cash and new house.

There was a faint nagging thought in her head, but she ignored it, stepping up to a doorway. She knocked.

A man answered the door, gently bouncing a baby on his hip. Perfect.

Maita held up a flier to show him. "Good evening, sir! I'm sure you're looking for a new daycare with the new move. I hope you'll consider W- uh, Lopekao Daycare, family-run for five generations and counting, with weekend hours, our care and attention to each child outmatches other local daycares, and so do our prices!"

He smiled and accepted the flier. "Thanks! We'll consider it."

"Thank  _ you _ , sir. Have a nice evening!"

"You as well!" He closed the door.

Most of her interactions were this brief, since everyone was still getting settled. And she had to get used to saying Lopekao Daycare. They've always been called West Ren Haru Daycare, but of course that doesn't work anymore, so they named it after their new street.

Maita had less luck finding families with children in the next few houses. When she crossed the street though, she struck gold. A tired-looking woman opened the door. Maita immediately noticed three small kids running around, two teenagers on the couch who definitely didn't care about the kids, another school-aged boy sitting at the table drawing something with an ink pen, at least one baby crying, and two toddlers screaming at each other. She also noticed how spacious the house was.

Maita held up the flier eagerly, giving her spiel.

"Thanks, but I'm home during the day to watch them."

Maita handed her the flier anyway with a smile. "Well I hope you'll consider us if you ever need a day off."

The woman hesitantly accepted the paper, and closed the door.

As Maita walked down the path towards the street, she heard someone land in the grass behind her. She spun quickly, and relaxed as soon as she realized who it was. She recognized him from school. "Dagon. Hey."

"Maita." He greeted politely.

"Were you… on the roof?"

"Yes."

"Oh! This is your family! I knew you and Kota had a lot of siblings. Sounds crazy in there."

"Speaking of…" He looked around the neighborhood quickly. Dusk had just passed, and people had just started to light their porch lanterns. Nobody was around.

"Right. I saw your sister two days ago, as we were leaving Ren Haru."

Dagon looked surprised. "Haven't seen her in almost a week. But I saw  _ your _ sister two days ago."

"Where?"

"Police station. She was escaping."

Maita nodded, not surprised.

"Are they together?" He asked.

Maita's heart skipped for a second, wondering if he'd seen the kiss too, or if he'd known something even before that, but she quickly realized he meant their location. "Oh, um, I don't know. Kota was looking for Roh. I don't know if she found her."

Dagon lowered one eyebrow. "You're not concerned about where your sister is?"

"You don't seem overly concerned about yours."

"My sister didn't just undergo a massive personality change. Roh's always been a goody-two-shoes, hasn't she?" And considering he watched her gleefully bash someone's head in the other day, frankly he was more concerned about Roh.

Maita shrugged. "Sorta. Maybe less than you think. You might change too if your dad was murdered in front of you."

Dagon didn't have an immediate answer to that.

But Roh had been best friends with Kota long enough for Maita to pick up on what her father did to his kids. "Well, maybe not  _ your _ dad--"

"Your dad?" Dagon cut her off with his next thought.

She hesitated, then nodded grimly. "Let's just say I'm glad to put Ren Haru behind us."

Dagon looked uncomfortable. He wasn't sure how to act around a grieving person, but Maita was just fine.

"Let me know if you guys need a daycare service." She started to turn away.

"Wait! I don’t understand. Roh just… ran off after your dad died, and you don't even care?"

Maita turned back slowly to look him in the eyes.

"Well, I didn't mean you don't  _ care, _ I just meant--"

"She's got stuff to do, a world to save or something. It starts when they're sixteen, right?"

Dagon frowned. "What starts when who's sixteen?"

"You don't know who she is, do you?" She hadn't meant to wield the upper hand over someone like Dagon, who always seemed so cool-and-collected. But admittedly, it did feel good.

"What do you mean?" His eyes were wide. He stepped forward and right out of his hard outer shell. Curiosity took over without him even realizing.

Maita stepped forward too, not wanting anyone to hear. "She's the Avatar." She whispered. She stepped back, and resumed her normal voice. "So I assume she's out doing whatever  _ those people _ do, and I'm mostly sure Kota is helping her. Part of her "team", if you will. So no, I'm not really concerned. I wouldn't worry too much if I were you, either. I don't think they're coming home anytime soon."

Dagon's expression only betrayed that he was thinking hard. Calculating.

She casually backed down the yard. "Stop by if you hear anything, my address is on the flier." She turned and carried on to the next house, briefly catching sight of Dagon as he braced his foot on a window ledge and jumped back onto the roof.

She'd intentionally kept it a secret that Roh had killed those four cops, but Dagon had also kept secret that he'd seen her murder another one.

The next few houses were rejections, and Maita walked back down the perfect little streets full of happy families. That same nagging thought from earlier came back. Looking around the town, she definitely couldn't ignore it. Everything was so perfect, but…

Perfect is not sustainable.

~//~


	30. Boat

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> this is my favorite chapter

"I can't believe they got us again." Roh muttered. Being an old pro at getting knocked out by now, she had woken up a while before the other two, who were just now fading into consciousness.

Haider instinctively struggled at first, pulling on the ropes that bound all of their hands to the same post behind them. Another rope wrapped several times around their chests. Their feet were tied up separately, shoes gone. "Where are we?" He demanded.

Soft daylight entered from the cracks around a door and two porthole windows, providing a dim light to the whole room, reminding Roh of naptime at the daycare. The wooden walls were painted pale blue, and several barrels sat around the small storage room.

Haider didn't really need to ask where they were. The rocking of the whole room was hard to ignore.

"What are you two waiting for? Use your fire to burn the ropes or something."

"Shh!" Roh hissed. "We need a plan first. They keep checking on us so if they walk in right now we have to look tied up and unconscious. We'll burn the rope when we're ready to act."

"So what's the plan?" Kota asked.

"Good question. And where are our shoes?"

"They must've taken them off and left them on the shore, I guess. Probably were klunky and full of shit."

"Aw, I really liked those shoes!"

"Okay okay stop, forget about the shoes. We need to think of something." Haider squeezed his eyes shut in concentration. "Based on the rocking, I don't think this boat is very big. Do we know who else is on here with us?"

"I think just those two, the "freaks", as you called them." Roh said. "I've only heard their voices."

"Ara." Kota said. "She called him Ara. And I think he called her something like… I can't remember. Something that rhymes with "even""

"Iden." Haider recalled.

"Yeah! Okay, if it's just the two of them, we can easily overpower them, right?

"I think we're 0-for-3 when it comes to fighting them." Haider pointed out.

"They probably have more tranqs, so we gotta find those first and get control of them." Roh said. "Iden's probably the one carrying them, so if one of us takes on Ara, and two of us pin her long enough to search--"

"Even if we somehow get the tranq's away, she's gonna get them right back. It's a small boat." Haider said.

"So we tranq them!"

"Okay, but we need a Plan B for when one of you fucks that up." Haider said.

"Excuse you!"

Kota, unfortunately, was in the middle. "He means me."

Haider paused. "I mean… not you  _ specifically.  _ You're both fuck-ups."

"Well I certainly wasn't any help during the jailbreak, was I?"

"Where is this coming from, Kota?" Roh asked. "There wasn't really much you could do anyway, we got out by earthbending and airbending, you didn't need to do anything."

"Hm." She mumbled. Still, useless, and they didn't need her now either.

Haider rolled his eyes, "I mean, this isn't really the time for compliments but I'm pretty sure I woulda drowned if you hadn't taken charge in the sewer, and Avatar over here would still be cowering on that ledge."

"Thanks." Roh shot.

Kota, however, was still not empowered by this.

"Plan B." Haider urged. "Roh attacks and we wait here." He was only half joking.

"Perfect, separate us so that girl can come in and kill us." Kota said.

"She's  _ not _ gonna kill you." Haider grinned.

"She almost did in the alley."

"She definitely wasn't gonna kill you then, either."

"What makes you so sure?"

Haider's grin widened. "Plan C."

"Oh no." Roh said. "Don't make her do that."

"Do what!" Kota whipped her head to Haider. "Do you guys know something I don't here?"

"Oh, you couldn't tell?" Haider teased. "That girl's got a little  _ crush on you. _ "

"Very funny. I suppose that's why she had a knife to my throat? Can you tell me what's really going on?" Kota demanded.

"No, he's right." Roh said. "I saw it too."

Kota was genuinely surprised. " _ Eww!" _

"Agreed." Roh frowned.

"Is that what your "Plan C" is?" She looked at Haider. "You want me to what, flirt with her?"

"It's better than dying, isn't it?"

"… I'm not sure!"

"What's the big deal? You're into girls anyway, aren't you?" Haider pointed out.

Kota's eyes went wide and she froze, fear written across her face. It's never been said out loud before. It's not like  _ nobody _ knew, but nobody's ever said anything about it out loud. It was a forbidden topic. There could be consequences.

"Jeez, sorry. I'm just teasing you, relax."

Roh cut in, "Nobody's baiting anybody, that's NOT Plan C."

"Okay, but if it comes to life or death, I'm just saying, don’t forget that's an option." Haider said.

"She's a  _ child! _ " Kota spat.

"So are you!"

He had a point.

"OW!" Haider suddenly tried to yank his hand back, tugging the ropes around everyone else's hands as well. He noticed Roh beginning to cut the ropes with a small, concentrated red-hot flame from her fingers. "You burned me on purpose!"

"Whoops." Roh deadpanned. Within a minute, both she and Kota had burned through all the ropes binding them.

The three of them crawled to the door. "Plan A." She said. "Let's go." She pulled the door open and the three of them ran up the short flight of steps to the deck.

Roh hadn't anticipated how bright the daylight would be, and she was equally surprised at how small the boat actually was.

Both siblings had been resting against the side of the boat. Iden shot to her feet, but Ara didn't notice. "ARA!" She barked. He quickly woke up and took in the situation.

"Oh, shit." He stumbled to his feet, still sleepy.

But Roh and Kota weren't in this to fight fair. Without hesitation, they charged both kids, Kota taking out Ara just as he got to his feet, and Roh diving for Iden. Knowing her enemy though, Roh had anticipated Iden ducking out of the way, and she planned for that, dodging to the left at the last second, Iden's attempt at an evasive move landing her right in Roh's arms.

Haider stood at the top of the steps, still adjusting to the daylight. "What was Plan A again?"

"Get over here!" Roh shouted in frustration as Iden wiggled from her grasp.

Haider jumped on, nearly bodyslamming them both, and for a second Roh worried their combined weight might actually break the girl.

She glanced back toward Kota, who had Ara pinned face-down on the deck, her full weight kneeling on his back. His arms flailed and legs kicked but neither of them could reach her enough to move her. "I'm good here." Kota said calmly.

"Reach in her pockets." Haider reminded, now putting his full weight on Iden's upper back. Roh felt around her pockets and sure enough, found a handful of capped darts.

"The fuck are you doing!?" Iden wheezed, sounding like she couldn't breathe.

"Haider, back off just--" Roh started, but quickly ate her words.

Iden braced her palms at the sides of her chest and pushed. She struggled for a second, but still managed to push all of Haider's weight and some of Roh's off the ground in a push-up. She dropped her right arm, tossing both of them off of her to the side, and she rolled away, on her feet in the blink of an eye.

"Seriously!" Haider couldn't even be mad. "Where are those muscles coming from, you look like a twig with legs!"

Iden turned away just long enough to make Roh feel safe for a second. But it was intentional. Iden took her by surprise, spinning back around and lunging at her. Her force slammed Roh against the side of the boat, and Iden pinned the wrist of the hand she held the darts in. "I'll take those, thanks.   


Roh struggled to hold on while Iden held the feathered ends, fighting in a tiny tug-of-war. Just as it looked like Roh had the advantage, she grinned and let go. Iden's hands went flying back, and Haider stood right behind Iden, using the momentum to pull the darts backwards right out of her hand again.

She spun around and came face to face with Haider, nearly bumping noses. He just grinned. "Whoops." He flung the whole handful over the side of the boat, and with a few little splashes, they were gone.

"Haider, what the fuck!" Roh shouted. "We needed those!"

"We did?"

"Did he just throw the darts?" Kota called.

"She was just gonna get them back from us!" Haider defended.

"What the fuck, Haider!" Kota shouted back. "How are we supposed to--  _ oof!" _ Kota was cut off by a tackle.

Iden took her out from the side. Based on how steaming angry Iden seemed, Roh figured it was a pretty safe bet those were the only knockout darts, or canisters, or soaked rags on the boat.

"Get off of him!" Iden had Kota pinned now, and she delivered an expertly-placed punch to the ribs. She'd identified Kota's weak spot in the woods, and although she'd healed by now, it was clear it still really hurt.

"Stop it!" Roh linked her arms under Iden's and dragged her away, surprised by how light she actually was. "What, are we just gonna keep beating each other up until we reach land? I don't think so. Everyone just stop for a minute."

"Yeah, listen to the Avatar!" Haider said. "Peacekeeping is her job!"

"I'd call this more of a stalemate." Ara said.

"Where--" Kota tried to get up but the wind was still knocked out of her from the punch. She sank back down, hugging a knee to her chest. "Where's this boat headed?"

"That's classified." Iden spat at the same time Ara said,

"Earth Kingdom."

"I like this guy." Haider said.

Kota had recovered now, and stood up. "Hold on. Let's figure things out, okay? You knocked us out in the woods, sent us to the Fire Nation Capital, only to break us out and stuff us on a boat headed for the Earth Kingdom… I gotta know, why do you even  _ want _ us?"

But Iden suddenly turned her attention to Haider. "You. You seem like a pretty logical kid, and you're a good fighter." She walked over to him. "Why exactly are you with them?"

"They're my friends."

"Are they? How long have you been friends with them?"

Haider looked around. "A few days."

"What are you trying here, Iden?" Roh stepped forward.

Iden ignored her. "Why else are you here?"

"Um… I owed them, because I turned her in to the police."

"Don't you think you've more than paid your debt by now?"

"Nice fuckin' try, kid." Kota snapped.

But Haider looked unsure.

"Stick with them, and you're going in an Earth Kingdom prison just like these two. But, you don't strike me as the best of friends over here, willing to go to prison for one another. Are you?"

"Prison?" Haider repeated.

"I'm giving you one chance."

"Stop talking to him!" Roh shouted.

"We drop them off, then take you wherever you wanna go, back home or you can start a new life somewhere else, and we can get you started with more money than you've ever seen in your life. How does that sound?"

Haider tried hard not to look at Roh or Kota.

"Are you for real?" Roh asked. She stepped toward Haider, but he held his hand out.

"This offer is for real. Are you?" Iden had him eating from the palm of her hand.

He stepped forward. "Yes." He said quietly.

"What the fuck!?" Kota shouted.

"I'm sorry!" Haider finally looked at Roh and Kota. "You guys understand though, right? I'm not going to prison for you!"

Roh formed fists. "You fucking little traitor--" She was cut off as Ara's terrified, screaming form came flying at her.

The entire back end of the boat flipped up in the air, sending Ara and Iden flying down at the other three. Water splashed over the entire boat, and the far end was completely broken off in splintered wood. Roh caught sight of the green fin of a full grown Unagi as it slipped back under water.

The boat jerked violently in the wake, and Kota grabbed Roh who had grabbed the door frame.

The five of them braced against various parts of the boat, waiting for another impact, but it never came.

Roh finally let out her breath. "Okay, the back is busted up but it's still functional--"

The deck Iden and Haider were clinging to suddenly burst into the sky, sending them at least fifty feet in the air, and leaving the rest of the boat to sink fast.

Kota lunged for the small floatation ring hanging on the wall as the floor slipped below the waves, but Ara snatched it first, leaping off the roof to get a good distance away from the small whirlpool current the boat was creating as it sunk.

Iden managed to twist her body midair and landed in a dive. Haider wasn't so lucky. He struck the surface flat on his back, the  _ smack _ echoing across the water.

Roh looked toward Iden and Ara, but they were swimming away from him. She braced one foot on the sinking railing and leapt off towards Haider.

Kota scrambled up to the last remaining part of the boat, which held the small lifeboat mounted to its wall. It slipped under the waves before she could unmount it, leaving all five of them in open water.

Haider was too far away. Roh was a strong swimmer, but this far out into the ocean, the waves were not necessarily big, but slow and forceful, moving with various currents in mile-deep water. Any progress she made seemed to be lost as a wave pushed her right back to where she'd started. After a few waves passed over her head, and the boat as a landmark was lost to the ocean, she had almost no sense of where he'd even gone in.

Wait a minute.  _ Waterbending. _

She'd never done it before, but she seemed to be able to access the other elements when she or a friend was in danger. She splayed her hands and pushed the water behind her, focusing hard.

Kota took in a big breath and plunged into the cold water, following the boat. She grabbed the roof as it sank quickly, and pulled herself far enough to release what she thought was the last latch on the lifeboat. She quickly realized it wasn't. There was at least one more, farther down. Her ears popped painfully, and darkness started to surround her. The water got colder with each second she sank. The surface already looked too far for her to possibly make it up alive, and she couldn't even see the rest of the boat anymore. She felt blindly around the edges of the lifeboat, hoping she'd find the last latch by luck, but pressure squeezed her temples and her ears popped again, this time with a sharp pain that shot through all the nerve endings in her ears, nose and neck and a light flashed behind her eyes. It was enough to make her cry out, releasing the last of her air as well. As a last-ditch effort, she curled her fingers as the boat slipped away.

And her fingers curled right around the last latch. The lifeboat's flotation devices yanked it away from the doomed boat's frame, and it flew up so fast she almost forgot to grab it. She brought her other hand up and gripped the rope holding one of the buoys tight, letting the lifeboat surge her back toward the surface. But the sunlight was so impossibly far away. The water should be getting warmer but she felt colder. If she didn't make it, at least the lifeboat would.

Roh's attempts at waterbending were futile. She tried to summon the Avatar State as well, focusing as hard as she possibly could, but nothing happened. She glanced back. Kota was gone too now. She looked around frantically, spinning in the water, but all she could see was Ara gripping the flotation ring, and Iden pulling herself onto a piece of broken wood from the boat.

Her friends were gone. These other two had selfishly saved themselves without even trying to help anyone else, and they were getting away with it while Roh's friends drowned.

_ They were getting away with it. _

An image of her father flashed through her head. The cops. The fire.

She felt water start to swirl under her, and a white light began to glow behind her eyes. She surged up above the water from an unseen force, ready to save her friends and destroy her enemies, but she quickly faceplanted into the water again.

She surfaced, sputtering water and feeling the glow behind her eyes fade out. The concentration was broken. She turned around and realized what had actually pushed her out of the water.

The lifeboat bobbed in the waves, upside down. Desperate for something to grab onto, Roh swam towards it and held onto a buoy. Her hand closed around something cold. She nearly screamed when she saw a pale fist gripping the rope attached to one of the buoys.

Roh quickly flipped the boat right side up, and climbed in so she could pull the body to safety as well. At first she had thought it was somehow a dead body that had fallen off a fishing boat and somehow attached itself to their lifeboat. But it wasn't. She felt relief and sickness at the same time as she realized it was Kota, and pulled her onboard.

She smacked her cheeks gently. "Ko. Ko, hey. Wake up." She tried to remember what Kota had done to revive Haider last night. Exhausted, she turned her on her side and pounded her fist on her back with the last of her energy. The willpower was there, but her burning muscles just wouldn't listen. This is it, Kota's gonna die just because Roh's not in shape.

Roh could only hold her close, giving a few more weak punches to her back. Her friend's body was cold, and shaking.

Shaking.

Startled, Roh looked down. Kota was facing the bottom of the boat, and water leaked from her nose and mouth. Blood leaked from her ear. Roh turned her over a little more. Her eyes were halfway open.

"Ko! Hey! Can you hear me?"

Kota coughed once, then whispered, "I'm not drowning. Please stop punching me."

Roh fought the overwhelming urge to cry and laugh and shout. Well, the crying part happened, but she blamed it on the saltwater in her eyes. She watched Kota carefully as she slowly recovered from… whatever it was that wasn't drowning. 

And of course, she asked the dreaded question.

"Haider?"

Roh gave one last sweeping glance across the open waters. Again, her blood boiled when she saw Iden and Ara, but of course, Haider wasn't there. Even if he somehow could swim despite having no experience in the water and only one arm, he'd hit the surface way too hard to possibly be okay. He didn't even shout for help before he went under.

The smacking sound his body had made still rang in Roh's ears. She held onto Kota, who didn't really need an answer after seeing Roh's face.

The lifeboat didn't have oars, either. They bobbed along in the silence, just as helpless as Iden and Ara, at least 300 feet away, barely more than specks now. Kota slowly regained her strength, but stayed curled up in Roh's arms, head in her lap. Her head felt heavy.

Roh focused on the rhythmic lapping of water against the sides of the small boat. Just as she was starting to feel calm, a small burst of bubbles, a disturbance in the waves off to their right caught her by surprise. She whipped her head around, looking for Haider's brown hair, but knowing another sea creature was _ far  _ more likely. The foaming water was too big to be caused by any human.

Her fears were confirmed as she saw a flash of blue. And a familiar scaled snout…

Ennis broke the surface and let out a howl. Haider's limp body was draped across his back. He instantly spotted Roh and Kota, and thankfully recognized them as friends.

"Ennis!" Roh shouted, jerking Kota from her lap.

Kota sat up quickly and nearly passed out from the immediate pressure and pain in her head. "Unghhhh…" She dropped her head back to the floor of the boat, hoping to reverse the pressure. Fresh blood trickled from her ear, and it felt like someone was plugging her nose.

"Help me pull him in!" Roh nudged her, but Kota was just trying to keep her head from exploding all over her friend.

Ennis pulled up alongside the boat, and Roh managed to pull Haider in herself, a new surge of hope giving her muscles one last push of strength. She wanted to help Kota, but her unconscious friend took priority, and it looked like Kota didn't want help. Haider looked even more pale and cold than Kota had. Ennis gently licked Haider's head several times, then whimpered.

She turned him over, struggling to make room for all three of them in the small boat. She wasn't sure how to help him. "Do I punch his back or not?" She asked.

"No!" Kota coughed into the bottom of the boat.

Ennis gave a half-assed bark to get Roh's attention. She noticed the ropes still wrapped around his chest and torso. The harness Haider had made was still there.

"Good idea." She told the dog who definitely couldn't understand, and picked up the ropes out of the water. She tied them off on the boat's tow line. "Go, boy."

Ennis dipped under the water and surged forward at a speed Roh had not yet experienced. She was caught completely off guard and thrown backwards, landing on both her friends.

"Sorry!" She said as Kota groaned. She pulled herself and Haider to one side and looked him over. "Ko, I don’t think he's breathing." Fear made her voice unsteady. "What do I do?"

Kota finally managed to sit up without passing out. She pinched the bridge of her nose and her eyes fluttered closed for a second, but she opened them again and leaned forward, pressing two fingers to Haider's neck. She nodded carefully. "Give him a breath." She said weakly.

"What?"

Kota mimed a blowing motion, then pointed to Haider's mouth. "And plug his nose."

Roh didn't hesitate. Haider hadn't been breathing since the moment he hit the water, minutes ago. She did, and nothing happened. "Should I hit his back?"

Kota shook her head slowly, still looking half-awake. She reached forward and made a fist, rubbing her knuckles roughly up and down his sternum. Nothing. "Again." She told Roh. The word was almost ripped away by the wind as they flew across the water.

Roh gave another breath.

This time, Haider coughed. It was just a reflex, he wasn't awake yet, but it triggered him to start breathing again on his own.

"It worked! You're a genius!"

Kota smiled, "Duh."

They both looked back toward Ara and Iden. Another ship had drifted into sight. Probably pirates or cargo, this far out, but it looked like they'd seen the siblings and were headed toward them.

Roh turned her attention back to Haider, afraid he was going to stop breathing again if she looked away for too long.

"He still might need a healer. Does he know where to go?" Kota pointed her thumb at Ennis.

Roh shrugged. "I doubt I could stop him if I wanted to."

Kota reclined back, trying to lay as flat as possible in the crammed boat, but her head was still propped up against the wall, and her knees up to make room for Haider. One arm was clenched tightly around her ribs. It didn't look comfortable. "I'm gonna take a nap." Kota mumbled.

"Please don't. Kota--oh shit. Don't go out on me!" Roh leaned forward, but there wasn't much she could do to stop her.

Roh wished this was some type of cruise, because she really enjoyed boat rides. But this one was hell, and she spent every second of the next few hours babysitting her two friends to make sure they were still breathing.

~//~


	31. Lighthouse

"Shit! Ennis! You've gotta be kidding me! Go. To. The. City!" Roh tugged on the tow line to try and steer the animal away from the small, rocky island he was on a crash course for.

Night had fallen, and they were finally less than a mile from what was clearly a city, a twinkling skyline of lights and land. A large lighthouse marked the shore, and a smaller one was about a hundred feet away now, the small lighthouse lantern revealing an island only big enough for one house.

"Ennis, please!" It was futile, of course. He was under water and doesn't understand her language anyway.

She braced for impact. Lighthouses usually signaled lots of rocks just beneath the surface, so she was sure they were going to hit something any moment now, especially with how fast Ennis was going.

But he slowed, twisting and turning their small boat around unseen obstacles below the water, and finally pulled up on shore. Kota started to stir, and Ennis barked loudly several times.

"Shh! Stop it!" Roh begged, but a light in the house nearby lit up.

"Who's there?" A woman stepped out, grabbing the porch lantern and lifting it.

"Sorry!" Roh called. "Just… took a wrong turn."

The woman muttered as she got closer. "Stupid kids. I move to an  _ island _ and still can't get some peace and quiet--" She stopped when she reached the edge of the embankment and looked down. "Oh, my… Is that a Water Wolf?"

"Yeah." Roh called back. "We're trying to get to the city. My friends are hurt and we need a healer."

But the woman was already climbing down the rocks. As she got closer Roh realized she wasn't as old as she'd first thought. She stepped right up to Ennis and reached up to pet his chest fur. He lowered his head and let her stroke the scales on his snout.

"Wha…" Kota mumbled, trying to stand up in the boat. Roh took her by the elbows and helped her out onto the sand.

"Please, can you tell us where a healer--"

"I haven't seen one of these in fifty years." She looked into Ennis's eyes. He seemed very comfortable around her. She turned back to the trio, noticing Haider's unconscious form in the boat. She sighed. "You said you need a healer?"

"Badly." Roh nodded.

"…Come on up to the house."

"Wh-- you're a healer? A waterbender?"

She didn't answer, just disappeared over the top of the hill.

Ennis pulled Haider out of the boat with his paw, then grabbed his shirt between his teeth and bounded up the hill.

Kota glanced at Roh. "Don’t tell me he brought us all the way to the Northern Water Tribes."

"I'm really not sure." Roh admitted.

~

The spacious house didn't have an official healing room, but the woman seemed to know exactly what to do. Ennis waited outside a nearby window while she carried Haider and laid him down in the middle of a carpeted floor. She gathered a large bowl of water and set it down next to him just as Kota and Roh reached the door.

Roh eased her friend onto a nearby couch. "You are a healer, right?"

"Retired." Sure enough, the woman raised the water from the bowl and swirled it over Haider's exposed back. He was covered in bruises, but most looked superficial. The water glowed as she moved it up and down his back. "I assume you're not waterbenders." She said, as if they had already disappointed her.

"Um, he's an earthbender. And she's a firebender." Roh said.

"And what are you?" The woman could definitely tell Roh was avoiding the question.

Roh quickly tried to think of which element she was most likely to get caught using, between fire and air. Well, Kota had the fire part covered. "Air." Roh said finally. "Airbender."

The woman laughed. "Right."

Roh forced out a laugh as well. "Yeah, uh, I'm just joking. I'm a firebender also."

"That's what I thought. Now, you wanna tell me where on earth you acquired a Water Wolf? Why isn't he with his pack? And what's he doing away from the Water Tribes?"

"Um, just to be clear, where are we right now?" Roh asked.

"The Earth Kingdom city of Havenoe. Now answer my question."

This woman was starting to scare her. "We freed him from a Fire Nation zoo."

She scoffed. "Right, and now you're using him for what, transportation? What makes him any freer now than he was before?"

Her concerns echoed something Roh had said to Haider before. But now Roh recognized that it wasn't greed or obligation that kept them together. It was loyalty and love. "Actually, he came to us. He was free to go, but he came and saved us when our boat sank. He saved him from drowning." She gestured to Haider.

Outside the window, Ennis whimpered, watching Haider's still unmoving form. The fact that he was waiting anxiously as close to the window as he could get instead of swimming away right now said it all.

The woman sighed. "It's a good thing he got here when he did. Smart animal, that wolf. The nearest healer in Havenoe is at least a mile inland. But he can sense there was another waterbender closer. Tell me, what exactly happened to this kid? I'm not feeling any water in his airways, so he wasn't drowning."

Roh sat down on the floor, finally calming her nerves enough to settle in. She sat in front of the couch Kota was on, just two feet away from Haider. "He was thrown in the air by an Unagi. And he landed in the water flat on his back. And then he was underwater for a few minutes. Ennis-- uh, the wolf, brought him back up. We really thought we'd lost him."

She ran the water up and down his back again, concentrating on a few spots. "Well, it could've been a lot worse. No internal damage, just some bad bruising, probably a concussion as well."

"He wasn't breathing when we brought him into the boat." Roh said, her voice shaking a little at the memory.

"Please tell me you didn't hit his back to get him breathing again."

Roh of course had considered it, but now looking at his bruised back, she realized why Kota told her not to.

"No, I breathed air into his mouth." Roh said.

"Didn't swallowany water." Kota mumbled from the couch. Roh couldn't tell if her slurring was from her headache or because her chin was now resting on the arm of the couch. "Dry drowning." she added.

"What's dry drowning?" Roh looked back at Kota

"Throat constricts. To protect water from going in the lungs, but also can't breathe. Needed a little breath of air to open it back up."

The woman looked at Kota in surprise. "Very good. He's lucky you knew what to do. And what happened to you?"

"Dragged down with the boat. Deep."

"She was unresponsive and her ear was bleeding when she came up." Roh reported.

The woman nodded. "Ruptured eardrum, I'm sure, maybe both. Probably some intense sinus pressure that needs to be relieved as well. I'll get you next. So, what brings you firebenders to the middle of the ocean?"

"Um. Kidnapped. We were kidnapped, by pirates… and we escaped." Roh said.

The woman narrowed her eyes. "You're a bad liar, Avatar."

Cold fear washed over Roh. She was usually a  _ good  _ liar. Scary good. Could Iden and Ara already have spies waiting to catch them? Were they in cahoots with the entire Earth Kingdom? The entire world?

"Relax, I'm not a threat to you."

"How did you know?"

"The way you reacted when I called you out about airbending. I wouldn't believe in a hundred years that  _ you _ were an air nomad, but you do airbend, huh?"

"Sometimes. Thank you so much for helping, really. By the way, I'm--"

"Nope! No names here. I don't wanna know."

"Oh. Okay."

"I am curious though… where are your shoes?"

~//~


	32. Cave

After spending a lot of time on Haider and a little time on Kota, the healer wanted them off her island, telling them the beach nearby was full of shallow caves they could find refuge in. Even though Haider still wasn't awake yet, she didn't want them spending the night. She seemed concerned about their feet but didn't have any shoes in their size. At least, none that she was willing to loan. But she was sympathetic enough to drop them a few silver pieces to buy some when they got to town.

Feeling better now, but still not 100%, Kota helped Roh load Haider back into the boat, and the woman said a prolonged goodbye to Ennis.

They reached the shore of Havenoe by around midnight, and sure enough, found a cave relatively quickly, although it was tough to access over the large boulders making up the shoreline. Ennis carried all three of them up the rocks on his back, and showered them in water droplets once they were inside the cave and he could shake his fur out.

"Great," Roh muttered, flicking droplets off herself. "My clothes were finally getting dry." She dragged Haider to one side of the cave and Kota brought over some pine branches from a nearby patch of trees. They stripped the pine needles off and used the wood as tinder, then spread the needles out for each of them to lay on. They also tied Haider's wrist to his ankle with some rope. The girls hadn't forgotten that he technically switched sides on the boat.

Once they had Haider settled in, Ennis curled himself around the boy's unconscious form and laid down, letting his fur dry off by the fire.

Both girls finally settled back against the cave wall.

Roh looked over at her friend. Her sinuses and eardrum had been taken care of as best as the healer could, but Kota still looked like she was fighting a headache. "You okay?" She asked.

"Yeah, absolutely. My ear hurts a little, but other than that I'm good."

"I don't mean that."

"Oh." Kota left it at that.

After another minute, Roh said. "It's been a crazy few days, huh?"

She just nodded.

Roh mistook Kota's silence for anger. "I really didn't mean to drag you into all this. You can leave any time you want, you know."

That meant they didn’t need her. "I should." Kota said, sounding tired.

"Wait… are you serious?"

Kota pressed her hand to her forehead. "I don't know. I want to stay, but…"

"But what? If you wanna stay that's perfect! I don't want you to feel obligated but I also want you here. Kota… you know I want you here, right?"

Kota didn't answer. She looked uncomfortable.

"I can't do this alone."

"You won't have to. There's plenty of other people who'd love to help the Avatar."

Roh took a minute to rephrase. "I can't do this without  _ you. _ "

Kota kept her eyes cast down into her lap. Her lips barely moved, but Roh was pretty sure she said "yes you can"

Roh lifted her friend's chin and turned her head gently, until Kota's gaze met hers. "No, I can't. I can't, and I don't want to." After another few breathless seconds, Roh broke her eyes away from Kota's and looked down at her lips, closing the divide between them before her courage wore off.

Kota didn't react at first, still somehow sad, and Roh had hoped she would take over since Roh didn't know how to kiss someone. But as soon as Kota reciprocated, she realized she didn't need anyone to lead, it all just came naturally. The electric sparks she'd felt the first time returned, more complete and fulfilling this time, and she really wondered why they hadn't done this sooner.

But this felt like the right time. She was afraid any variations in the past might not have led her to this exact moment. Granted, she hadn't foreseen the sewage waterfall or the kidnapping and drowning, but if those events were necessary to put her exactly where she was right now, well, she had no problem with that.

When they pulled apart, she looked up at Kota's eyes again. She was still looking down at Roh's lips, but instead of sadness, her eyes held hesitant relief. She was concerned that Kota still wasn't looking up, though.

"Hey. Are you-- was that okay?" Roh panicked for a second.

Kota pulled back further, eyes still cast toward the ground. "Do you mean it, though?"

"What?"

"Do you actually feel that way or are you just doing this to make me feel better somehow?"

Roh was genuinely confused. "…Can you really not tell?"

Kota finally looked up at her.

Roh let out a little laugh. "The healer said it herself, I'm a bad liar. And you know it too. Did that feel like I was faking right now? When I say that I do have feelings for you too, that it may have taken some time to figure things out about myself and that's why I didn't say anything, that I'm sorry my silence led to you feeling rejected, and that I really  _ really _ wanna kiss you again, do I sound like I'm lying?"

Roh could see the smallest smile on her face. "I don’t think so."

"Good." Roh sat back against the cave wall again. She shook her head, "That first kiss is the only good thing that happened that night. Of course I haven't forgot it."

"I know. I'm sorry. I truly thought I wasn't going to see you for a long time."

Roh was about to answer, but Kota's eyes widened and she looked past her.

"Wait. Do you see that too?" She pointed outside the cave.

Roh turned around and looked out into the blue sky. "I don't see anything."

"Hold on, it just flew out of view."

Both girls slid to the mouth of the cave and looked up. Sure enough, a dark figure with wings was gliding through the air, dipping and rising in the currents. Too big to be a bird, at least any bird they've seen before. And it never flapped its wings. And it was wearing shoes.

"Holy shit, that's a person." Kota mumbled.

"An airbender!"

Kota admired the flying figure with an innocent curiosity. "What's an airbender doing in the Earth Kingdom?"

"What's a waterbender doing in a lighthouse in the Earth Kingdom?"

"Okay, point taken."

"Well, I guess each city has a healer, but I thought all Air Nomads lived in the Air Temples."

"Apparently not."

The figure dipped one last time over the open water, and flew back up towards land, out of sight. Roh got up and started climbing the rocks.

"Where are you going?"

"Gonna try and see where he lands!" Roh called back.

Kota followed. Roh had covered a surprising distance in just a few seconds. She caught up to her, and tried to find the figure again in the sky.

"There." Roh pointed. Just a speck in the starry sky now, it dipped down and disappeared on a hill. They could make out the shape of an ornate building with several pointed peaks at the top of the hill.

"What do you think that is?" Kota asked.

"I don't know, but I need an airbending teacher. I'm gonna find out tomorrow."

~//~


	33. Havenoe Healer

"Ah, fuck! OWWWW!"

Roh and Kota startled awake at the howling sound outside the cave. Ennis stood at attention immediately, his ears forward and tail whipping.

The sun was up, and Haider was gone.

Roh looked down and realized she had fallen asleep big-spoon behind Kota, her arms wrapped around her. For warmth.

They both got up quickly and ran to the edge of the cave. Sure enough, about 20 feet down the rocky slope, wrist still tied to ankle, lay Haider, writhing in pain.

The girls slid down the rocks, more carefully than Haider had clearly, and stood over him. "Trying to escape?" Roh crossed her arms.

Haider just huffed.

"How'd that work out?"

"Why am I tied up!"

"You didn't forget that you betrayed us on the boat, did you? And look who came to your aid after your "new friends" left you for dead?" Roh said.

"Okay, I'm sorry. Please. My leg really hurts."

The girls noticed his leg for the first time. It was just slightly curved the wrong way and clearly broken. "You gotta be kidding me. How many times do we have to bring you to a healer in one day?"

"I've been to one already? Actually, I don't care. Please just get help right now."

Kota whistled for Ennis.

~

Ennis was helpful in getting Haider up the cliff. But they unanimously decided parading him through town would draw way too much attention. After one miserable walk through the town carrying Haider, not to mention barefoot, and a very kind gentleman with a wheelbarrow to transport him the rest of the way and lead them to the healer, Haider was brought into a waiting room. There were three people ahead of them with relatively minor injuries, which pissed him off even more.

"That's what you get for trying to escape." Kota told him.

"My arm and leg were numb, I was trying to find a rock I could sharpen to cut the rope so I could get some bloodflow!"

"Oh, good, then you didn't feel it when your leg broke."

"I feel it now!" His shouting attracted the attention of some others in the waiting room.

"Guys, be quiet. Haider, you know you could have just woke us up? Say 'hey guys, I could use some help here.'" Roh said.

"Well, you two looked a little… busy."

Kota blushed hot red.

"Haider, shut up. You're lucky we didn't abandon you on those rocks after what you did."

"I was just trying to trick them, I wasn't actually joining--"

"Shut. Up."

~

After another half hour of waiting in agonizing pain, no doubt also in pain from his concussion, he was brought in to see the healer and the girls decided it was punishment enough.

While he was inside, the girls found a shop nearby and used their silver pieces to buy three pairs of shoes. They returned just in time to see the healer wrapping Haider's leg in a bandage wrap.

"Can I ask you something?" Roh got down on the floor on Haider's other side, and looked at the healer. Kota stood to the side.

"Sure."

"What's the building at the top of the hill over there?" Roh pointed East.

"Oh, the Air Embassy?"

"Yeah, that one! Um, what's an Air Embassy?"

She frowned at them. "You must not be Earth Kingdom, are you?"

"I'm an earthbender." Haider defended, even though he'd never lived in the Earth Kingdom a day in his life.

"Fire Nation." Kota said. "Ren Haru. All of us." She glared at Haider.

"All the major Earth Kingdom cities have an Air Embassy, to negotiate trade and other agreements. There's a few monks and nuns who live there full-time, but every teenage airbender spends a month living at an embassy, as part of their cultural schooling. There's between five and seven at any given time." She looked annoyed. "And they're all fascinated by the healer. They don't have waterbenders at the Air Temples, of course. Is that all? I have more patients to see."

Roh helped Haider to his feet. "Yes, thank you very much. That's great news."

She looked confused. "Whatever. Who's next!"

~//~


	34. Camouflage

"This is perfect. There's even teenagers there, so it's not like I'll be surrounded by elite experienced airbenders." Roh paced the cave while Kota sat against one wall. Haider was reclined in Ennis's fur, his leg propped up on a footstool he'd earthbent. 

"What, are you just gonna walk up and say "I'm the Avatar, train me?" Kota asked.

"What you need is a cover story." Haider said.

"I'm not sure if there's any cover story that would be believable." Roh thought hard.

"Sure there is. You're looking at him." Haider grinned. "What do you think it was like when I discovered I'm an earthbender? You tell them you're an orphan who just discovered that you can airbend. You don't know who your parents are, but one of them must have been an airbender, and you don't know what to do with your new skill. They'll have to take you in, they're real softies."

"That's actually pretty good." Kota tapped her chin.

"Okay, okay. That could definitely work. But I'm not gonna like, live there. What's my excuse for not staying?"

"You have a disabled foster brother who needs to be taken care of." Kota shot a smug grin at Haider.

"Are you referring to the leg or the arm?" Haider asked.

"Which seems meaner?"

"Wow. Glad I can be of so much help."

Roh clapped her hands together. "Well, before I can leave you two alone tomorrow, I'm gonna need some proof that you're really back on our side, Haider."

"Who says I'm back on your side?" He teased.

"Excuse me?"

"I mean uh, who says I switched sides in the first place?"

"You did. Loud and clear." Kota said.

"Well what do you want me to do to prove it? Grovel at your feet?"

Roh stopped in front of him. "I want you to tell me what you'd do if someone offered you money in exchange for betraying us. You know Iden and Ara were looking for your help to overpower us? They wanted you to help them physically hurt us. Were you really about to do that? Be honest."

Haider looked uncomfortable, but his voice was softer. "Honestly… I didn't think that far ahead. I didn't think about how, without the tranqs, keeping you guys subdued would probably involve violence, at least a little bit, especially with that psycho chick in charge."

"So what would you do if they'd asked you to hurt us?"

Kota kept quiet, absorbing his responses and analyzing them.

"I'm not sure…"

"Put yourself in that situation right now. Close your eyes. We're on the boat. The sun is bright, and the boat is rocking. We just reached a stalemate with them, deciding not to fight for the time being. Iden proposed that offer and you took it. She and Ara attack us, and she tells you to help. What next?"

Haider's eyes were squeezed shut in concentration. "I try to stop everybody. Stop fighting."

"They stop. Now what?"

He shook his head. "I can't justify helping them until I know why the want you. I'd ask them to tell me privately, now that I'm on their side. And I'd decide if it's justified."

"Nope, they won't tell you. They think you might be spying for us, lying about switching sides. They won't tell you."

Haider was clearly deep in this scenario.

"Without your help, they knock me and Kota out. When we reach shore, we're awake but handcuffed. You know they're headed for an Earth Kingdom prison, but there's no escaping this one. What do you do now?"

"Bend a big column between them, and then push that apart in opposite directions. Same thing between you two and them, but the column around them encompasses them fully. I put a cover on it so they can't climb out. They'd have to dig out with their hands. And the three of us run away."

Kota snorted. "Can you do that? You're not exactly the _best_ earthbender."

"No… I probably couldn't. But I promise I would try."

Roh snapped her fingers. "Focus. Why? Why do you give up riches and a fresh new life just to save us, whom you've been friends with for only a few days?"

"Because the world needs the Avatar." He took a deep breath. "Earth Kingdom prisons are the most high security and inaccessible places in the world. I mean, you've probably heard the conspiracy theories that Avatar Tyric's death was faked and he's in an Earth Kingdom prison somewhere. If they don’t want anyone to find you, nobody will _ever_ find you." He opened his eyes, looking sad. "I swear, I'm on your side now, for good. I remember being healed last night, a little. I couldn't move but I thought I'd hear Ara and Iden's voices. But I heard your voices. _You're_ the ones that care about me. And honestly I was relieved it was you guys. I'm sorry. For real."

"They were going to leave you." Kota said, looking down, still mad about it. "They didn't even look in your direction."

"Alright." Roh pointed to Haider. "You're on probation. You have to earn the rest of our trust, but you're back in for now."

"I hope forever." He said sincerely.

~//~


	35. Insight

A light fog covered the expansive lawns, blades of grass still wet with morning dew. The air was cold, but the first rays of sun crept in, warming Roh's shoulders and promising a hot day.

She'd played through so many scenarios in her head about how she would present herself at the door of the Air Embassy, and how they might react, and take her in. But none of her scenarios involved this first obstacle she ran into:

There was no door.

Grand arches opened right into what looked like a main room, with tables and chairs. She could tell there were people awake, and could hear them distantly, but couldn't see anyone.

She was about to call out, when something landed in the grass to her right. She turned her head just in time to see a teenage boy with a glider slip on the dew as he landed, falling flat on his ass.

A small laugh escaped Roh before she could contain it, and she covered her mouth quickly. Not a great way to get on the airbenders' good side.

The boy looked up at her, startled to see the newcomer. Then he started laughing at his mistake too.

Roh laughed back again.

"It's a little early for visitors."

"Oh, um, I'm not a visitor--"

He frowned, confused. Technically, she was.

"Well, I mean… Can I talk to one of the monks or nuns in charge? I'm uh… it's kind of important."

His cheerful grin faded into worry. "Is something wrong?"

"No." She smiled politely, hoping he would mirror it.

Instead, he turned and whistled loudly, and it looked like a breeze or airwave pushed the sound further than it would have gone. The small gust reached a funnel-looking thing mounted to one of the arches, and within moments Roh heard the whistle echoing through the architecture.

The boy turned back to her, like he didn't trust her enough to look away for too long. "Taatu." He introduced, bowing politely.

Roh froze. All those scenarios and she also hadn't thought of a fake name, and she probably shouldn't use her real one, in case someone came looking for her. She bowed back. "Uh… Shan." She couldn't really come up with something on the spot, but it was half of her name.

"Nice to meet you, Shan."

Another person on a glider rounded a nearby corner and landed just behind Taatu. He was bald, with the signature blue arrow rounding his head and striped down his arms. He snapped his glider shut and stepped forward. "Can we assist you with something? Tours start at midday."

Roh already forgot the lines she rehearsed. She'd only been this close to a real airbending master a few times, and none of them have ever spoken to her.

"Panuk, this is Shan. She asked to speak with one of the leaders. She said it was important." His tone almost sounded belittling, as if whatever Roh considered important was beneath them.

Roh stepped forward and forced herself not to say um. "Hi. I'm Shan, uh, he already said that. I grew up in an orphanage in town and… I never knew my parents but I think one of them must have been an airbender because uh… I just discovered I can airbend." By avoiding the "um's" she'd fallen into the "uh" trap. Maita would be proud.

Panuk raised an eyebrow and stepped forward. His face showed a gentle curiosity, but Roh could tell it was covering whatever opinions he'd already formed about her. Probably that she was full of shit.

At least she definitely had his attention.

"Can you show me?" He asked.

"Well, it's pretty spotty. Most of the airbending I've done has been on accident. It usually doesn't work on command."

"So you cannot airbend right this moment?"

"Um, well no. But that's why I came here. I would like to learn the basics, so I can control it and not put people in danger." She hoped that last part would get him. Benders who don't have control of their element can be deadly.

Panuk nodded. "Well, why don't you sit in on some classes today? You can see how we do things here, and we'll see how it goes."

Roh knew that meant if she didn't prove she's an airbender by the end of the day, she probably wouldn't be welcomed back.

"You can shadow Taatu for the day. Taatu, are you okay with that? I'm teaching a meditation class in ten minutes."

The boy smiled and nodded. Roh couldn't figure out if he was eager to show off his culture, or if he was eager to watch her make a fool of herself.

Probably both were going to happen.

~

"A meditation class is the perfect place to start, Shan. Whenever our bending is blocked by negative emotions or impure thoughts, meditating almost always helps."

Roh's eyes widened for a moment.

It didn't get past Taatu. He laughed, "Impure thoughts meaning war, fighting, or darkness. Often times, going out into the city here, we come in contact with people who have more darkness in their souls than light. Part of our training is learning to interact with those people without letting their darkness affect us, and sometimes figuring out what is suppressing the light inside them. But to those inexperienced, the darkness can sometimes follow you home. Meditating always helps. But uh… impure thoughts doesn't mean… _that._ Don't worry." He grinned.

Roh smiled back politely, and kept looking around. She couldn't believe a place so beautiful and otherworldly existed in the middle of this Earth Kingdom city. There were stone bridges that seemed to lead to nowhere, and doorways high up on the walls, with no steps leading up to them. The top of the building seemed to disappear into the misty sky, and the city wasn't even visible. She saw a woman with arrow tattoos sitting in the grass next to a small pond, statues surrounding the area. She looked asleep.

"What's she doing?" Roh whispered.

"Oh, that's Yuta, one of the nuns here. She's spending the day in the spirit world, to meditate under the Tree of Time." Taatu explained.

"…Where's the tree?"

He laughed. "In the spirit world. You can only get there by meditating. Everything's different in the spirit world. Gravity is different, colors and animals are wild, but there's no bending. The Tree of Time is a tree trunk where lots of airbending masters go to meditate on cosmic energy."

"What's cosmic energy?"

"Uh… we should get to the meditation class."

Roh suppressed a laugh. He clearly didn't know what cosmic energy was either.

The "room" was open on three sides, lined with archways, allowing the refreshing breeze through. The fourth side led further into the building. It was more like a porch. They took their seats on pillows in the first row. Panuk sat at the front, facing the class.

After a few minutes, Roh noticed everyone sitting with their eyes closed, including Panuk. She thought he was supposed to instruct or something.

She elbowed Taatu gently. "What are we doing?" She whispered.

Everyone opened their eyes and stared. The old Roh might be embarrassed, but right now she kinda thought it was funny.

Panuk cleared his throat. "Since we have a guest today, I'll go over the meditation basics. You must sit with your back straight, to allow bloodflow through all the chakras."

Roh always had good posture but these guys looked like they had something uncomfortable in their spines. She tried to mimic it.

"When meditating, clear your head of all thoughts. Focus on your breathing only. Feel the breeze, and let it move you, without resisting."

~

Haider's leg had healed enough for him to walk on it, and he was eager to move. He told Kota he was going into town to try and make some money for food. She approved it.

Everything was similar to Ren Haru but at the same time _so different_. The plants were different. The smells were different. But the people, and the vendors, were all the same.

Except their clothes. All Haider had left was his undershirt, a dusty color that looked like red and gray combined. It looked very Fire Nation. He'd need new pants too, since the leg was cut by the healer to make room for the bandage. His skinny pants reached his ankles and were connected at the waist to the looser shorts that hung over them, reaching his knees. They were black with gold trim. If he could get another pair like that, it could look both Fire Nation and Earth Kingdom.

But those earthbending kids on the ballcourt were wearing green tunics and vests and dresses. In fact, any one of these people walking by could be an earthbender. They're all just like him.

Except the clothes. His leg was wrapped in the white bandage and his undershirt didn't do a good job of concealing his right shoulder. Everyone was looking, it seemed. He tried to force all their stares and whispers out of his head.

With no solid direction, he turned a corner and found himself on what was probably the busiest street in town. He was almost immediately hit by a wheelbarrow. Someone shouted, and he was about to throw a fist at whoever was yelling at him for being in the way, but he realized the guy wasn't yelling at him. He wasn't even paying attention to him. Another guy across the street yelled back. In a crowd this loud and busy, Haider realized it wasn't yelling, rather, it was probably just how they talked normally.

He soon got the hang of weaving in and out of the oncoming crowds. It was thrilling. Like a game of dodgeball, but nobody was fighting and there weren't teams. It was all just _people,_ who chose to be there, around other people. And everyone was moving too fast to even care about looking at him. He loved it.

~

Every time Roh tried to push a thought out, it came back. Like smashing a bouncy ball into a wall and expecting it to go through instead of hitting you in the face.

She felt the breeze, like Panuk said, but it wasn't doing anything besides making her cold.

Panuk's deep, soothing voice filled the room again. "Have we entered our meditative states?"

Roh sure as hell wasn't gonna be the one to say no.

"Good. Now let's begin the lesson. What's the first thought that comes to mind… when you hear the word, "necessity"? Grab onto that first thought, do not search for any second or third thoughts. Even if it's not the thing you need most, hold that first one and let the others fall away."

This was bad news for Roh. The image was certainly not something she needed more than other things. Why did it come up first?

The first thing she saw in her head was the cop on the floor of the station, she couldn't make out much in the dark besides a dip on his head where it should be round. She'd saved whoever else he was going to kill. She knew it was justified. But why did that come up just now?

Deep down, she knew why.

"What must you do to satisfy that need?"

_Kill._

She'd already broken the impure thought rule. She wondered if everyone else in the room could sense her darkness. Or were they already being blocked by it?

Is her own darkness blocking her from airbending?

~

He saw it, hanging in a storefront. An awesome vest, sewn with various shades of green, gold, and creamy white. Sleek and badass. It looked like the ones the other teenagers were wearing. He needed _that one._

He cut across several lanes of foot traffic, already feeling like an expert pedestrian navigator, and stepped into the store. He walked up to the counter and pointed to the window. "How much for that one?"

"Ten silver pieces." The woman mumbled, looking bored. "Or you could just, read the price tag yourself."

He nodded with a grin, ignoring her. He got the information he needed. He set his goal.

He stepped back into the street and looked around for some unsuspecting scammers.

~

"Take the image of what you think you need… and release it." Panuk's words glided on the wind. "Let it be taken away with this very breeze. Let go of that which tethers you."

Okay, okay. Let go. Roh watched the image of the cop float away and disappear. It didn't feel like anything changed.

"Once you've released the image, I want you all to release the feeling that comes with it. Again, let go of that which tethers you."

Maybe he's reading her mind. No, if he read her mind and saw what just happened, he'd be screaming and flying away in terror.

She should've gone with her second thought, which was probably pancakes.

"I want you all to answer me out loud now. Was that thought something that you need the most, more than anything else?"

"No." Roh barely whispered, but she was surprised to hear a chorus of other no's. A few yesses, but it seemed the majority was no.

Taatu had said yes, though. What, was he thinking about oxygen or something? What a boring kid.

"Everyone clear your thoughts again. If I were to see your thoughts right now, I should see a blank slate."

~

Haider could only get so far with each little roadside betting game before the owner caught on and threw him out. And it seemed silver pieces in the Earth Kingdom were harder to come by. But by the end of it, he had almost enough for the tunic. Maybe the shop owner would cut him a break.

He strolled back into the shop and laid out seven silver the coins on the counter. "I'll take the tunic in the window, please."

The woman glanced at the coins. "It's not enough."

He tried the bargainer's tactic. "Look, this is my offer. Take it or leave it."

The woman narrowed her eyes at him. "Price just went up. One _gold_ piece."

"What!"

She seemed to get enjoyment out of the despair in his voice. "Get outta my shop!"

He wanted to give the shirt one last look, but couldn't. It wasn't his. He was foolish to think it ever could be. He started cutting down alleys, hoping to just get back to the shore and see Ennis and Kota. .

"Hey kid! Where do you think you're going?" A figure jumped out from behind a garbage can, holding out a knife. He was tall, but didn't sound much older than him, and he was wearing a sack over his head with eye holes cut out.

Haider snorted a small laugh, looking at the knife. He could just turn around and leave the alley. This guy didn't exactly have his exits blocked. Haider turned around and started to casually walk away.

He heard the kid run up behind him, and without even turning, Haider earthbent a small rise in the dirt ground, tripping the boy.

It was a mistake, though. After recovering from his stumble, the kid raised tall slabs of earth on both ends of the alley, then brought two columns up to Haider's back and chest, trapping him in place. He was absolutely bewildered. He had never encountered another earthbender before, at least none that actively earthbent in front of him, and he made mental notes of the techniques the boy was using.

The current technique involved grabbing the small bag of money out of his hand.

"Hey! C'mon, please, I need to get food for my friends!" He searched his brain. What would make him let someone go if their roles were reversed?

"Tell your friends to shove it." The boy started counting the coins.

Suddenly, the slab at one end of the alley sank quickly back into the ground. A short old man stood in the dust. "Mico! What are you doing!"

Mico hid the coins behind his back. "We're just playing."

"No, we're not!" Haider called. "He's robbing me."

The man stepped forward, up to the boy. "Mico, you let this boy go and give him back whatever you stole."

The columns shot back into the ground, knocking Haider off balance. He fell onto the dirt. The old man seemed to get a good look at him for the first time, taking in the bandaged leg and missing arm.

"Mico! Even I didn't think you would stoop this low!"

"He's perfectly capable!" Mico defended, pulling his hood off. "He earthbent at me!"

Despite the situation, Haider really loved how casual everyone was about earthbending.

The man knelt down next to Haider. He recognized the White Lotus emblem on the man's robe. "I am so sorry for my nephew's behavior. Please, accept this as his apology." He reached into his robe and pulled out two gold pieces. "Right from my nephew's savings."

"Uncle! What are you--! That's two months' worth of-- I can't believe--! Ughh!"

The old man smiled and patted the coins into Haider's hand. "I hope this didn't put a damper on your day."

Haider's grin was as bright as the sun. "Thank you, sir. It certainly won't."

The man stood up. "Mico, offer this young gentleman a hand to help him up, please." He ordered, before disappearing around the corner.

Mico dragged his feet as if forced, and lamely reached his hand out to him.

Haider already had the coins in his hand, though. Just as Mico looked down at him, Haider's grin turned mischievous, and he shook his right shoulder imperceptibly. Tiny stones and dirt left over from Mico's earthbending rose up to meet his shoulder and formed a perfect right arm. Of course, the rocks aren't attached to his body so it wouldn't actually help pull him up, but Haider could have stood up on his own, so he used this trick purely to see Mico's face.

It was worth it. Dumbfounded, Mico reluctantly grabbed the rock hand, and Haider stood up on his own, coming face to face with Mico and leaving the rock arm still hanging there. His face was priceless. With one little twitch of his right shoulder, the rocks tightened around Mico's hand and Haider pushed the rocks toward the ground, taking Mico with them before releasing them, the dirt spilling onto the boy.

"Oh, no." Haider said with a smile. "Need a hand?"

~

"The next word I want you to meditate on, is "passion"" Panuk said slowly. "Take your first thought, the first thing you saw when I said that word, and bring it to the front of your mind."

_Kota._

The thought came easily, far ahead any second or third contenders. Of course, because she was her best friend. She would've had the same thought a month ago.

"A passion is neither a want nor a need, but something you associate with very strong, positive emotions. Without passions, our lives would be dull, and monotonous. A passion both excites you and calms you, providing balance."

That makes sense. Friends balance out loneliness. Kota has definitely been that balance over the past few years.

"I want you to picture yourself in a situation where you are feeling passionate. What does it look and feel like?"

It looked like cave walls. Blue night sky, soft glowing campfire. It looked like light brown hair, faded freckles, golden eyes, and warmth. It felt safe and daring at the same time. It felt more right than anything ever has. She noticed a charged buzz through her body, and she was very glad this particular thought and feeling was hers alone, nobody else in the room could taint it. She wanted to hold onto it in secret for the rest of the day.

"What stands between you and your passion?"

Hm, Avatar responsibilities? People trying to kidnap them? Just a few guesses. Mastering the elements? Fixing Ren Haru? Haider, probably?

"Now, take into consideration that everything you perceive to stand between you and your passion, are imaginary."

…What?

"Consider what is holding you back. Is it real?"

~

The vest fit perfectly. The woman's face when Haider put the coin down was priceless. The store manager came out to verify the authenticity of the gold piece, and for the full piece Haider also got it tailored perfectly for his size. The right arm of the new long-sleeved undershirt was cut just below the shoulder, and the ends sewn together to fit him. The manager also threw in a new pair of pants that were identical to his old ones, but with pockets.

Haider walked out of there a new man. Instead of hoping the people passing wouldn't see him, he now wanted everyone to see who he was. Just a regular earthbender, in Earth Kingdom clothes, not a tourist or an outsider, but looking like he belonged.

So when he walked past the ballcourt, and a kid called out to him asking if he was a bender and wanted to play because they had uneven teams, Haider of course grew suspicious.

He was more than thrilled to join. But what did the world really have in store for him? There was no way he could get two nice things in one day…

Well, if the world was going to trick him, he was going to trick it right back by having the time of his life while it lasted.

He caught on to the rules pretty quickly, and he glided through several matches on an absolute high. As a rookie, he wasn’t exactly a good player, but he wasn't bad enough to stand out, and that's all he wanted. Surrounded by good people and good vibes, laughing together, and feeding off each other's energies, he forgot to worry about anything at all.

~

"Today we have considered needs and passions. These are elements of the Light chakra, located in the center of your forehead. The Light chakra deals with insight, and is blocked by illusion. Consider that your needs are an illusion. If your needs involved air, food, water, shelter, or other foundations of sustaining life, this means your insight into the world is blocked by worrying about things you already have. Let go. This is not the time for you to worry about that, or you will never be able to think outside the box." Panuk's voice was calming even though his words seemed strict.

Roh heard several people, including Taatu, exhale in unison.

"If your needs involved a tangible object, consider how you would feel if it were destroyed, lost, or taken from you. Hold that feeling. Now, what would it take for you to willingly give that item up? This will give you insight into your true needs."

Only two people exhaled this time.

"If your need was a person, consider the weight you are putting on that one person. Spread that burden among your friends. Do not be afraid to rely on your friends or get close to them. If the person you think you need is taken away, you must have more legs to stand on. Your life will still go on, and therefore, you do not need them."

Roh thought that sounded a little harsh. But it must be doing something, because she could hear someone in the back crying very quietly. Still, nothing here applied to hers…

"If your need was an action, activity, or feeling, I want you to picture yourself doing or feeling this, and erase everything else around that image of you. All that's left is you. Get to the root of what is happening to you, to make you feel this way."

What's left, if the cop isn't there? If the room and the club aren't there. If the sunlight isn't there. What's actually happening to her body in the dark? A rush of excitement? A release of something that had been building up? It's obviously something intangible… Her alone. It doesn't work. Okay, try someone else. What would Taatu feel if he were in her shoes, in that moment?

The answer came right away. Remorse.

"The sense that you need this activity or feeling is an illusion. Release it."

She didn't _need_ to kill, she needed that cop gone in order to make her city safe. She should have stopped once he was unconscious, but there was nothing telling her to stop swinging. She only feels bad about it because she's _supposed_ to feel bad.

But she's not supposed to feel good. Why did it feel good to find him alive and leave him dead? To be the one taking that away from him? Although, memories aren't even 50% accurate. Maybe it didn't feel good, maybe it just felt necessary.

Which is maybe why it came to her mind when Panuk said "need"!

The only way to find out was to kill again.

"Now, I want everyone to think about your passion. Oftentimes, your perceived needs stand between you and your passion. If you let them, your Light chakra will be blocked. Hypothetically speaking, a life without needs is freeing, but a life without passions is imprisoning."

Life without her would be… blank. There, but empty.

"While not always possible in reality, holding the mindset that needs are an illusion and passions are the insight, you will free up a lot of clutter in your mind."

It was like taking out the trash, she could get rid of _so much_ all at once! She started to understand the appeal in the airbender lifestyle. Just a little bit.

"Now, everyone take five deep breaths, and allow yourself to exit the meditative state."

Five deep breaths felt like forever. She still didn’t understand the patience part of airbenders. But she did it, and sure enough, that forever did come to an end.

Everyone around her stirred slightly, opening their eyes and beginning to stand up and stretch. Panuk walked over with a warm smile just as she and Taatu were getting up. "What did you think?" He asked.

Taatu stepped away, walking toward the other side of the room.

"I think I learned a lot!" It sounded fake. It wasn't.

But Panuk still smiled. "Glad to hear. Opening the chakras can really help with blocked bending. Perhaps you can--" 

A second later, one of the pillows came flying at Roh's face. "Shan, think fast!" Taatu called.

Roh swatted the pillow away, annoyed. It flew right back into Taatu, and he hit the wall with an " _oof!_ "

He'd been standing 20 feet away.

Panuk was looking at her, awestruck. "Do that again."

Roh waved her arm like she just had, and a gust of air blew across the room, sending all the pillows to the wall where Taatu stood.

It occurred to Roh just then that Panuk and Taatu really thought she was lying about airbending. So admittedly, it was pretty funny when they started looking around the room for someone who could've done it. Panuk even checked behind a wall.

They finally walked back over to her, and she did a smaller version of that wave with her hand, blowing Taatu's hair out of place. "Are you done looking yet?" She smiled.

~//~


	36. New Bending

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The kids discuss their day in the cave at dusk

Roh got back to the cave just as the sun was setting. She was instantly greeted by the smell of cooked meat, which was a very welcome greeting after having breakfast and lunch on the airbender's vegetarian diet. The food smelled rich, there were sacks of more food at the back of the cave, blankets for sleeping on, and Haider had a new shirt.

She crawled up by the fire and took some food. "How many people did you scam to get all that?"

"I have my ways." He beamed. His face was sunburned and the smile wouldn't leave, making her genuinely wonder what he'd been up to.

Kota's hair looked messed up. "And what have you been up to?" Roh asked.

"Nothing compared to the day you two had, I'm sure. Ennis and I took a little tour of the coastline. Found some good fishing spots. Got yelled at by some fisherman. Fought a Flying Fishapotamus. No big deal." She took in Roh's gaze for another second. "My hair's messed up, isn't it?" She tried to run her fingers through the knots.

Roh laughed, "No, it just looks like you went swimming. Which you did."

"Tell you what, my hair tie broke, that's why it looks so bad."

"It looks cute the way it is."

"Get a room!" Haider coughed.

Roh stared at him. "Sorry, your shirt looks cute too."

"It's a _vest!"_

Kota ignored both of them. "So, did you airbend today or what?"

"Yeah! Monk Panuk and this other kid, Taatu, didn't believe me at first, but after some meditation I could control it a little."

"Meditation? You're really falling for that spiritual hooey?" Haider looked amused.

"Well, it works. I can produce air on command!" Roh held out her palm and produced a weak little swirl.

"Whoa!" Kota watched.

"Oh look, I can produce air on command too!" Haider mocked, taking a big breath and blowing at Roh's face.

"Oh look, I can earthbend!" Kota grabbed a handful of rocks and chucked them at him from across the cave.

"Guys!" Roh held her hands out to stop both of them. "We're not gonna start a bending battle." She lowered her hands. "Because fire would win."

"What!" Haider erupted, and both girls started laughing. Without thinking, he reached for a stick on the side of the campfire, intending to throw it at them, but pulled his hand back quickly. "OW!"

Roh laughed harder and Kota grinned, lighting up a small flame in her palm. It illuminated part of her face and cast eerie shadows. "What's a'matter? Can't handle the heat?"

"You don't scare me!" Haider spat while pushing himself across the cave floor away from her, before he noticed Ennis curled up a few feet away from Kota. Then he got protective. "Put that thing out! You're gonna traumatize him!"

Kota closed her hand and the flames disappeared. "No I'm not, he's fine. Look." She held up one finger, producing a single green flicker. She whistled, "Ennis."

Haider balled his fist and the rocks she'd thrown slowly crept across the floor toward him, ready to beat her the hell up.

Ennis raised his head and saw her holding out the flame to him. His burns were mostly healed, fur still hadn't grown back in some places, but he wasn't scared of the flame anymore either. He just rested his head on his paws and closed his eyes again, completely trusting.

Kota slowly lowered her hand and put the flame out. "He knows it's not me that hurt him."

Haider relaxed again, taking it in. "Okay." If Ennis could trust them, he could too. But he already trusted them, they'd saved his life. And they trusted him, he broke them out of jail. He wasn't used to this many people all caring for each other in one place.

The sun had completely set by now, and Haider was exhausted from the whole day, not to mention the sunburn making him tired too. But he could stay up a little while longer if they were all gonna talk--

"Well, Monk Panuk said I have to practice meditation--" Roh said.

"GOODNIGHT!" Haider grabbed a blanket and rolled over facing the mouth of the cave, pulling the blanket over him.

Roh shot a confused grin at Kota and shrugged her shoulders, "What's his deal?"

"He had a big day."

Roh laughed at the thought of a baby version of Haider exploring the big city, which wasn't far from the truth. She looked back at Kota, and remembered that feeling she'd had while meditating. The buzz. She'd held onto that thought all day. But the thought didn't compare to actually looking at her right now, in the low light.

"So how do you meditate?" Kota actually sounded interested, and Roh was glad to show her.

"So, you sit like this. And fold your hands." Roh sat facing Kota with her legs crossed and back straight, hands together in her lap.

Kota watched her, then mirrored it perfectly.

"Then close your eyes, and empty your mind of every single thought."

"That sounds hard." Kota whispered.

Roh broke her composure and giggled. "I agree."

They both sat quietly for a few minutes, breathing in sync.

After a peaceful silence, Kota said, "Are you allowed to fall asleep?"

Roh broke into laughter again, losing her posture this time too.

"We're so bad at this." Kota grinned.

"We really are."

"Do you think the monks ever fall asleep while meditating?"

Roh thought about it. Yuta looked pretty asleep that morning. "I should ask."

"I think I fell asleep every single time I tried to meditate." Kota admitted with a small laugh.

"Oh, you've tried _this_ before?" Roh mocked the posture.

Kota laughed softer this time. "Yeah, when I was little. Honestly, it was probably just uncomfortable napping."

"Uncomfortable napping. I gotta use that." Roh noted. She pictured Panuk's face if she said that.

"I was probably doing the posture wrong and cutting off bloodflow to my brain," She joked, "because I had some pretty tripped-out dreams."

"Really? Like what?" Roh didn't entirely care about the dreams. She slid against the wall so they were sitting next to each other, more than happy to abandon meditating to just sit with Kota.

"It was crazy, they were super vivid too. I made an imaginary friend there who was like, a deer with white swirly patterns, and could go invisible. And there was like, a waterfall made of grass and we would ride around and like, purposely step on gophers to piss them off--"

Roh couldn't help the surprised laugh that came out. "That's absolutely nuts. You sure you weren't on drugs? Could you and your invisible deer fly also?"

"Hah, um, no, we were pretty earth-bound, unfortunately. But we didn't really need to, gravity was just… different."

That sounded familiar…

"Hey, Ko, was there a… tree involved?"

"A tree? There were a lot of trees. Made of all different stuff. Some of them talked to me. And then there was one big tree that was like, surrounded by old airbenders. It was really weird. Growing up I always thought that's where airbenders go when they die because it was called the Tree With Time or something like that, and it was also a cage of some sort. That's a little disturbing for a kids dream, huh?" She laughed. "All airbenders go die under a tree."

"You just, randomly started meditating and had these… dreams? As a little kid?"

"…Yeah. I don't know. Obviously I wasn't meditating right, they were just nice dreams, that's all."

Roh noticed the slight hesitation, the smile fading a teeny bit. "Kota, you know I'm not like, making fun of this right? This sounds mad cool. I wanna be there."

"Yeah, I know. I wish I was still able to have those dreams, but I can't anymore. They were a nice escape."

A lot of things clicked into place when she said escape. Roh didn't really know what to say. "Oh."

Kota just nodded. She rubbed her forehead and looked at the ground.

Forbidden topic.

Roh had always thought, as a friend, she was supposed to leave the issue alone. But now she wasn’t so sure.

Theoretically, Roh would tell Kota that talking about bad stuff in the past can make it easier. Kota would open up to her, and Roh would let her cry on her shoulder or something. Then Roh would go punch Kota's dad in the face. All better. Neither of them would ever feel bad again.

Neither of them had the guts to go through with that, not even in those wildest dreams.

But she could plant the seed.

"Monk Panuk was talking about um, burdens that get put on you and…"

Kota looked confused.

"Well, it was much more graceful when he said it. But the point was that giving other people your… no that's not right. Uh, emotional burdens, by the way. Not like a sack of rice."

"I'm not sure what you're saying…" Kota said with a laugh that had a steel edge to it. A warning. Don't come any closer.

"Well, I'm saying like, if there's a burden, or a problem, that's put on you somehow, you can distribute it to me, like it'll be easier to carry that way." This was definitely not how Monk Panuk said it.

"You want me to give you my _problems?_ "

"They're not yours, they're your father's!" Roh hadn't quite meant for that to come out.

But it must have struck something deep, because Kota just turned away, her jaw set firm. It takes a lot to make her that angry.

Roh panicked. How did it escalate to a fight so quickly? A million words of denial and taking it back swirled through her head, but none of them made it to her tongue. She just sat there, waiting for the retaliation strike. Whatever she was going to say, Roh was prepared for it to hurt.

But when she finally spoke, her voice wasn't full of venom and hatred. It was scolding, no doubt, but more betrayed than angry. "Don't _ever,_ talk like you know my family." Her fingers curled in some type of un-releasable frustration. "You don't."

Roh felt short of breath, and she could only let out a weak, whispered "I'm sorry."

She could spend hours trying to unpack Kota's words, but her tone said it all. Nothing is just black and white. Roh was treating it like a dark past, but they're still kids. It's still Kota's present. It's only been a week since they were living normally at home.

The next moment took her completely by surprise. Kota leaned back and laid down, settling with her head in Roh's lap. She shifted to get comfortable, and closed her eyes.

"You've got enough problems of your own, Roh-Shan."

~//~


	37. Dock

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Iden and Ara learn their new mission

The siblings were tied up in a dimly-lit room, down in the bunks of a Fire Nation cargo ship. They'd been picked up by the passing ship after floating on a life ring and planks from the boat for several hours. The sailors assumed they were refugees, and although Iden showed them her Fire Navy uniform, they couldn't verify that she hadn't stolen it, and things only went south when she tried to command them.

So they got tied up and put in an empty bunk room in dry Fire Navy exercise clothes while waiting to reach the Fire Nation Capital and have someone there verify that they're Fire Nation citizens.

And, much like they had done to Roh, Haider, and Kota, they were unfortunately tied to the same pole.

"Pspspsps" Ara whispered to a small sparrowkeet that had been fluttering around the bunks.

The bird flew over and landed five paces away, untrusting.

"Who's a pretty birdie?" He cooed.

Iden smashed her head against the pole. "You should've let me drown."

"Let the record show that I made no attempts to save you, you did it all yourself. The fact that you are still alive is just a consequence we both have to deal with."

Iden didn't have a response to that.

Ara continued his conversation with the sparrowkeet. "You're a pretty little birdie, yes you are. Those are some pretty green stripes, mister birdie."

Iden rolled her eyes. "Those are yellow stripes."

"No, the green ones." Ara tried to point but forgot his hand was tied behind his back.

"The green parts aren't stripes, they're the base color. It's green, with yellow stripes."

"The stripes are green, the bird is yellow."

"No! The green part is the bird. Look, his face is green."

"He's got yellow around his eyes though. And his wings are yellow."

"You're such an idiot, Ara. The wings are the accent color. And why did you assume the bird is male?"

"Because male sparrowkeets are colorful to attract females."

"All sparrowkeets are colorful, though."

"Maybe they're all males."

"That's literally impossible--"

The rusted metal door screeched open, and a sailor stepped in. "We're docking. Let's go."

Iden and Ara stood up, ropes still tied around their wrists. "Green with yellow stripes." Iden whispered under her breath.

"Yellow with green." Ara whispered slightly louder.

The sailor led them through the halls of the boat, before reaching the deck. A set of stairs connected the boat to the long wooden dock, and people were milling about, pulling ropes, going this way and that, the whole place abuzz.

The sailor stopped them right before the stairs and cut their ropes. "Someone vouched for you guys. Verified that you're Fire Nation citizens. You're free to go."

A bit confused, they both headed down the stairs anyway. Standing on the dock was Suley, arms crossed. He motioned for them to step out of the way of oncoming foot traffic, closer to the end of the dock and out of earshot of the other sailors, where the shoddy wooden railings stood between them and the wide open sea.

He put a finger to his chin, as if thinking. "So let me get this straight… after losing the Avatar the first time, you got her back then lost her again. Then you lost the two others who know about her, then you lost a boat and, grand total: you lost literally everything besides the clothes on your backs."

Again, after a silence they realized they were supposed to respond to that. They glanced down at their borrowed clothes.

"Uh--" Ara started, but Suley cut him off.

"OH WAIT, YOU LOST THOSE TOO! I gave you the easiest job in the world! We need to deal with the Avatar before she learns the other elements, because it's only going to get more difficult from here!" Suley steamed for a moment, turned away, and looked like he was done. But he snapped again. "THEY'RE JUST CHILDREN! How do you keep fucking this up!?"

"She's a child too!" Ara defended, gesturing to their little sister.

Suley scoffed. "And what does that make you, a sack of potatoes? You're older than them, you should be able to best them with your eyes closed."

Ara pointed to Iden. "How old is she?"

Suley looked like he couldn't care less. "I don't know."

"Guess."

"Seventeen."

"She's FOURTEEN."

"First of all, I don't care. Second, if you're saying I can't trust you to get the Avatar, then I'd be more than happy to find someone else willing to do it, and put you two on my guard forces."

"Guard forces?" Iden asked.

Suley's back straightened, ready to give one of his speeches again. "The New Ren Haru will be free from oppressive rules and governmental restrictions. All my citizens want is a place to openly use the freedoms they were born with, to do whatever they can possibly dream of, without having to face punishments for just being themselves. Isn't it just my luck that my city happens to be the Avatar's hometown. I just want you to bring her in so I can speak to her. All she's seen so far is the destruction of her city, not the beautiful utopia that I'm pulling together." He looked out across the waves, pleased with himself.

"…so what's the guard forces?" Iden reminded.

"Obviously, in my new society, people have absolute freedom, which if they so desired, would involve the freedom to harm me or my advisors, or various other important figures. For that, I will need a constant guard force, for protection."

The other two seemed uneasy about that idea.

Suley crossed his arms. "I'm going to make this so easy, even you can't fuck it up. I'm giving you the most powerful mode of flying transportation known to man." He pointed to the shore, where a dragon lay calmly on the shore, maroon-red and striped with gold. It had two saddle bags slumped next to it.

Iden looked back at Suley, suppressing a childlike excitement. "For real?"

"Assuming you two can manage to not lose it somehow, yes. But mainly because I have a new job for you as well. Inside those saddle bags are hundreds of informational fliers about the new city. Each flier includes a map and a date that ships will be sent out to transport anybody interested in moving the my new city. Spread the word! Drop fliers in towns, on doorsteps, on boats, across the earth kingdom! Now get out of my sight!"

Iden and Ara bumped into each other trying to get past Suley on the dock, and made a run for it. Partly because they were excited about the dragon, and partly running from Suley. Normally they wouldn't be afraid of him. They used to get along, kinda. But he's different now that he has power. And bending black fire at Iden last time made them really realize he's changed.

There was a dragon trainer standing on the shore with the beast, stepping forward as they approached. He looked like he was forcing himself to be cheery. "Are you two Mayor Suley's brother and sister?"

"Unfortunately!" Ara replied in the same tone.

He surveyed the pair as they got closer, and looked more and more disappointed with each step. Iden's Fire Navy uniform had been torn and ruffled during the unagi attack, and Ara just generally looked like shit. The sailors had offered them dry clothes that they normally gave to refugees, but of course they were still pauper's clothing. Ara had accepted, but Iden staunchly refused to wear anything but a Fire Navy uniform, which of course they wouldn't give her.

"Well, here she is. Do either of you know how to ride and care for a dragon?"

"No."

"Great! This is going to be a long day."

~//~


	38. Abuse

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Roh witnesses a disturbing event and gets the urge to step in... and does.

It was one thing to force herself awake before sunrise and go up to the Air Embassy the first time, but doing it day after day truly forced Roh to stop staying up so late. Because apparently, falling asleep during meditation is _not_ a thing that airbenders do. It's actually quite frowned upon, as she learned the hard way.

Just beyond the city to the right were large sand dunes, which protected the city from sandstorms and winds from the desert adjacent to it. Though it was a little longer than cutting through the city, Ennis could give her a ride most of the way without anyone seeing them. And yeah, she'd fallen asleep on him a few times, before she could get used to the schedule.

And although her airbending is really coming along, it hasn't left much alone time for her and Kota.

For the most part, it seemed the airbender nuns taught the more physical, bending styles classes, while the airbender monks taught the spiritual classes. Lunch was always light, and they usually wrapped up around mid-evening, and Roh was allowed to go home to "care for her disabled foster brother", although the airbenders really thought she would benefit from living there full time.

Roh was pretty sure Haider would hate it, not to mention any slip-ups could reveal she's not an orphan, or an airbender by birth, or an Earth Kingdom citizen. And there was no plausible explanation for the wolf. It was better she get back to the cave every day, although having a room of her own to share with Kota and specifically _not_ Haider sounded really nice.

During lunch after about two weeks at the Air Embassy, Roh finally spotted Panuk alone, and decided to approach him about a question she'd been ruminating on.

"Master Panuk." She bowed politely before him, and he gestured for her to sit at the stone table across from him.

"Something on your mind, Shan?"

"Yes, um. You've mentioned the Spirit World several times in your classes, and I'm wondering… can only airbenders get to the Spirit World? Or can just anyone go there?"

He huffed a small laugh. "Well, certainly other people can try, through meditation, but the air nomad lifestyle is particularly spiritual-oriented, therefore training the mind and body to be open to entering the Spirit World. Of course, there are rumored to be Spirit Portals at the North and South poles, but they are in the most remote areas and are currently closed. Only the Avatar can open them, but yes, if a portal was opened, anyone could walk right in."

"Oh."

"Does that answer your question?"

"Well, no. Is it possible for someone to meditate into the Spirit World on _accident?_ Like, if they were meditating but not thinking about the Spirit World. And not an airbender."

"It's highly unlikely. Most airbenders can't even access the Spirit World until they become masters, and even after that it takes time and patience."

"You mean the other students here can't get to the Spirt world whenever they want?"

He laughed. "Most certainly not. Many of them are trying. Few ever actually can, though. The Spirit World can be dangerous, so even if they could, going in without the proper knowledge and training can result in one's soul being lost forever. Like I said, time and patience."

Roh was a little bit disappointed to hear she herself probably couldn't go to the Spirit World anytime soon. Although, the Avatar is supposed to be the bridge between the two worlds. Well, Kota had told her that, based on Kenja's fangirling over Tyric, the previous Avatar. But she wasn't too sure how reliable Kota's memory is.

"Why do you ask, Shan? Have you been to the Spirit World?"

"No. No, but um," She proceeded carefully, so she didn't give anything away. "I have a friend who used to have dreams that sounded a lot like what you described about the Spirit World. She said she was trying to meditate when she had these dreams, but she was really young, and can't do it anymore."

Panuk looked genuinely interested, "What did she describe?"

"She said there were… waterfalls made of grass, um, an invisible deer, and talking trees, and she mentioned the Tree of Time. Well, she called it the Tree With Time or something, and she said there were always airbenders next to the tree." It sounded even more ridiculous when she said it out loud.

But Panuk didn't seem to think that. "Well, those are all things specific to the Spirit World. The Tree of Time and grass waterfall are specific landmarks, and many spirits appear as animals and some can fade in and out of visibility at will."

"It's possible she just heard it somewhere. Her sister used to talk about Avatar Tyric a lot."

He didn't seem persuaded. "Is she a bender?"

"Y-yes." Roh hoped he wouldn't ask what kind of bender, because she wasn't sure how many actual firebenders were in Havenoe. Probably none.

"And not an airbender, I assume?"

"Correct."

"Well, the young mind is very open and unburdened, I suppose it's possible. But you said she was just meditating? Was it in any specific location?"

"I think just her house."

"Any other specifics she mentioned to you?"

"Well… she um. She used to meditate after her father beat-- um, he sorta beats her and her brother up. I don’t know the specifics. But I know they've broken bones and stuff, and um. I think it's just a very negative or… scary environment, in her house. She said she had these dreams when she needed to escape." Roh stumbled. She couldn't even come up with anything other than "scary", she sounded like a little kid. She'd witnessed Kota's dad get mad before, and it was absolutely terrifying because the man had no tells. No way of knowing whether he was perfectly fine or about to throw a chair, until the moment he picks up the chair. And that one incident Roh witnessed had genuinely traumatized her, and no one even got hurt that time.

Panuk looked saddened. He propped his elbows on the table and rested his face in his hands for a moment, like he was getting bad news. Roh was confused.

After a moment, he nodded and brought his hands back down. "In that case, I'd say it's very likely your friend was in the Spirit World. Please tell me she's not in that situation anymore."

Roh was surprised, she wasn't sure why that had changed things. "Um, yeah. She's not there anymore."

"Are there any other children in danger in that house?"

Technically, Dagon still lived there. But he wasn't a child. And he might've left by now. Roh was pretty sure he was just staying so their father didn't unleash hell on Kota. And neither of them ever seemed worried about the other kids. "No."

"Good. Well Shan, if your friend is interested, I'd love to talk to her about the Spirit World sometime. I myself have never met a non-airbender who could access it. Do you think she would be interested?"

Probably, but what kind of complications would _that_ bring up?

Normally, Roh would be selfish and say no, making sure there are no unnecessary chances of compromising her identity here. But was she really going to keep this from Kota?

"I'll ask her." Roh nodded. "Can I ask, why does that specific situation make her more likely to get to the Spirit World?"

"In airbenders, spiritual connection comes very naturally to some, even as children. Others may not be able to access it their entire lives, or find it very very difficult to reach. The wall between individuals and the Spirit World can be thinner or thicker, depending on the person. I believe these types of people are all over the world, not just airbenders. But without proper training and lifestyle, even people with thinner walls will never get there. However, In some circumstances, usually with children in very traumatizing or dire situations, the Spirit World may reach out to help them, by thinning the wall between the worlds until something as simple as untrained meditation will allow someone with already thin walls to break through."

~

Roh had been training on the airbender gliders for several days now and was getting the hang of it pretty quickly. One of the elder monks decided she was ready to officially have her own, and he was working on carving and crafting it tonight. So this was the last night Roh would have to make the trek through the city back to the cave. Tomorrow, she could fly home.

Usually, these walks were a good time to practice clearing her mind, focus only on her footsteps despite the various distractions around her, while also being aware enough of her surroundings to react. She was getting good at it.

But tonight was different. Thoughts of her discussion with Master Panuk forced their way into her head. Based on how normal Kota was every day in school, Roh didn't really think that her home life was particularly "dire" or "traumatic". She knew for a fact it wasn't hell every single day. He was only mad sometimes.

But it had her thinking about it enough to consider it might be her imagination when she heard a _slam_ and a shout from inside a house as she walked past.

She continued casually past, but stopped in front of the next house to look back without standing out.

She couldn't see in the kitchen window where the noise had come from, but she could see into the kids' bedroom. Two small beds. One with a green knit blanket, one pink. Probably a boy and girl, no older than ten.

She crouched down and crept between the houses to get a better view.

The sound of glass breaking in the kitchen made her jump, but she was able to keep her heart rate under control thanks to the airbending training. Maybe meditation does come in handy.

The door squeaked open, and a small girl crept inside and settled on the bed. She was crying.

Moments later the door slammed open behind her and a man stepped in, shutting the door behind him. "You're gonna be so sorry."

The girl looked up at him, defiance in her teary eyes, just like Kota. "I'm not sorry." She whispered.

He lunged at her, shaking his fist in her face, but didn't touch her. "Who the fuck raised you to have a mouth like that!? It certainly wasn't me!" He stepped even closer, but she didn't back down. "What if I left tomorrow? What if something happened to me, do you know whose fault it would be? YOURS. I could start a brand new family with kids who RESPECT ME, and I'd never think about you or your worthless mother and brother again! How would you feel about that, huh?"

The girl bit her lip, trying to stop crying.

His voice lowered. "Just remember that, okay? You three are lucky I've put up with you for so long. And one day, if you wake up and I'm not here, _you_ know that I'm happy with another family somewhere, with better kids, and you know it's _your_ fault." He backed out the door, leaving her crying. She didn't look any older than six.

Roh's mind was flipping through a rolodex of emotions, flipping through, trying to land on one, maybe anger or sadness, but it just wasn't landing. She was certain she felt _something_ , but she just didn't feel it yet.

She watched the man storm out of the house and into the backyard, where there was a large shed. He stepped in briefly, then marched back out with a small pouch of money, heading straight toward Roh. She quickly dove out from between the houses, using airbending to keep her steps light and soundless, and ducked behind the next house.

Moments later, he walked past, holding a small sack. He wasn't storming. He was whistling. He was _cheery._

She followed him, staying in the shadows, until he passed a smaller house that was obviously abandoned and condemned. In a split second, she had her arm around his neck and hand over his mouth, dragging him backward into the house.

Once inside the house, he elbowed her gut hard, and she wasn’t expecting it. She doubled over and loosened her grip. He stumbled away toward the door. "Help! I'm being ro--"

Roh pulled the words from his mouth. Literally. She drew the air from his mouth and nose and yanked him back by his belt, tossing him to the ground while she continued to pull air away from him.

He flopped around like a fish, his eyes wide, trying to catch a breath where there was none. Soundless.

She released her hold on the air for a few moments, and he gasped in large breaths, cutting the silence. Before he had enough energy to speak though, she stepped on his chest and knelt down, heating up her fingertips to a smoking red-hot flame, holding it a centimeter away from the underside of his chin. Silent again.

She leaned over his face. "Do you feel powerful?"

Confusion flickered over his face, between terror and struggle.

"You feel good now because you made her cry?" Roh's rolodex briefly stopped on _passion_. That little girl wasn't the _her_ that Roh's heart was pumping for right now.

"I never laid a hand on my kids!" He choked out.

She curled her fingers and pulled the air harder. It's true that most of her airbending prior to all this was on accident or in desperate circumstances, but this was one move she'd perfected through practice on many animals. Obviously, this isn't a move Panuk had taught her.

He didn't have enough air left now to be anything but sorry.

She stood, foot still on his chest, and drew all the air out, digging deep this time, feeling the air in his lungs and pulling directly from there. After holding it, she released it again, waiting for him to gasp in air as she leaned back down.

"Why do y--" She paused. He hadn't gasped. Frowning, she pressed two fingers to his neck. No pulse.

She stood up and stepped away. "Dammit. I wasn't done with you yet."

~

Roh considered getting Ennis to swim the body out to sea, but she didn't want the others asking questions. Instead, she found a nearby graveyard that had a hole already dug, expecting a burial tomorrow, and she tossed his body inside and covered it up with another layer of dirt. 

Well, it wasn't _that_ easy. It is the Earth Kingdom after all, so their holes aren't dug, they're impeccably bent into perfect rectangles, so she _did_ have to do some manual labor patting down the dirt to get it to look normal. Overall she wasn't too worried about being caught. At least she could confidently say now that she was in shape enough to drag his body across a few backyards.

Then she paid a visit to his shed. He'd left it unlocked, and she wanted to return his small pouch full of money to the family.

She was surprised by what she found inside.

Two suitcases, fully packed. A handbag full of various other items one would need to leave and start over. _He wasn't kidding._

Cautiously, Roh set the bag of money down on the worktable. The table was so cluttered with paint splatter and various other messes, she wouldn't have noticed the flier if she hadn't set the bag on it and heard the little crunch of folded paper.

Curious, she picked it up and unfolded it.

There it was. A map of the world pointing to _her city_ , Ren Haru. "Society of New Yelsu. A society completely free from oppressive laws! Be the start of a new nation! Every new citizen receives a house at no cost to start out. Your new home awaits you!" followed by a listing of cities and dates there would be boats to transport people to the new land.

Roh folded the paper back up and tucked it into her pocket. She also grabbed the two suitcases and bag, and closed up the shed, sneaking back onto the street. She dumped them into the abandoned house and started setting them on fire. She set fire to various other parts of the structure, then stepped outside and knelt down by the back corner, lighting up the frame as well. She was long gone by the time it fully caught up, burning bright in the night.

She was outraged over what Suley was doing to _her city_ , and if her friends were asleep she intended to kick them awake to show them the flier.

As for the man she just killed, the rolodex was still spinning. Hadn't landed. She felt nothing.

~//~


	39. Wheat Field

It was late, and there were no kids left to be picked up, so Maita's mother was surprised to hear a knock at the door as she was cleaning up the house for the night.

Cautiously, she opened the door to find a thin figure wearing all black, only his pale face standing out. For a split second, she thought he was a robber, or worse, a cop, but she soon recognized the face. "Oh, you're Kota's brother, right?"

"Yes, ma'm. Is Maita home?"

Maita stepped into view. "What are you doing here?"

"You said to come by if I needed anything."

Her mother stepped back into the house to finish cleaning up.

Maita leaned on the doorframe, arms folded. "And?"

"Um, can I talk to you outside for a moment?"

Maita frowned. "What can't you say in front of my mother?"

Dagon lowered his voice. "I just don't want her to worry."

Maita caved and stepped outside.

"Blow out the light when you get home, honey!" Her mother called.

"I'm not--"

But Dagon grabbed her arm gently and pulled her away from the house. "Take a walk with me." He said firmly.

Maita yanked her arm away and dug her heels in.

Dagon looked back at her, took in her defiance, and sighed. "Please?"

She crossed her arms again and started walking with him, keeping an eye out. They walked down the small cobblestone street towards the swampy woods, where a nice boardwalk path had been installed recently for leisure walks. Again, suspiciously quaint and made her uneasy about the whole Sarsero situation.

"Look, I don't know if Roh ever mentioned, but I was sorta part of the rebel forces in Ren Haru--"

"Do you have information about my sister or no?"

"Well no, I never said that I did…"

"So what's this about?"

"I'm getting to it. There's been two attacks on rebel meetings in the past few weeks alone. We've lost more than 75% of our members in the Ren Haru chapter. We're trying to rebuild our forces and I think you'd be a good candidate. Mayor Suley thinks he wiped us all out, but--"

Maita laughed. "Wait, you want me to join the rebels? That's what you're here for?"

"Uh, well…"

It was almost worth it just to realize Dagon really wasn't half as smooth or collected as he'd always seemed. "Let me tell you something. If you want to recruit people, don't mention the 75% death rate in your pitch."

"I'm being serious, Maita."

"So am I!"

He stopped and looked her in the eyes. "You know Suley's not done pushing our families around. His new city is already expanding beyond the old Ren Haru borders. There's boatloads of new people coming in every day. The expansion is pushing more Fire Nation citizens out of their homes. Our neighborhood is untouched for now but it's not going to stay that way. I think you should have a way to protect your family."

"And how's that?"

"The rebels --the Black Iris-- teaches and invents firebending techniques that the police don't know about yet. Even having the upper hand on them for a few extra seconds can make all the difference."

"Oh yeah, the _illegal_ moves. That are outlawed. And punishable by prison time?" It did give her some hesitation though. A few seconds would have made the difference in saving her father. The slightest distraction…

"It's all justified as long as you follow the oath. I can teach you some of the techniques, and you don't have to commit to anything. I just want you to be able to protect yourself. And your family. Especially being the Avatar's family, you might be targeted."

Maita nodded slowly. "Okay. Fine, when can you teach me?"

"Right now?" They stopped on the boardwalk and Dagon gestured off the path, into the foliage.

"What?"

Without another word, he soundlessly leapt off the boardwalk and onto a strip of dry land between dips in the swamp. He disappeared into the trees.

"Wait!" Maita jumped after him, but her foot slipped off the narrow strip of dry land and into the mucky water. She quickly righted herself and followed where she thought he'd gone, leapfrogging on plant roots to avoid the mud. In the darkness he was already invisible, so she followed his sound.

Finally they reached a clearing, a large field of knee-high wheat grass, surrounded on three sides by woods and the fourth side was a cliff that dropped off to more fields and rolling hills. In the distance, the ocean sparkled in the moonlight, and the stars freckled the sky above.

Dagon was already a few paces into the field. He turned back. "Ready to learn some firebending?"

~

Maita started to warm up with the basic stances, but it was clear Dagon had never been formally taught firebending. He had no idea you were supposed to warm up.

"You know, this is how Roh and Kota became friends." Maita said, holding a perfect horse stance as Dagon tried to copy her.

"In a field?"

"No, firebending. Roh was showing off at school, and Kota asked if Roh would teach her that move." Maita laughed. "Roh said no, so I told Kota to come over after school and I would show her. Roh got jealous while I was teaching her, and she took over."

She caught Dagon smiling softly. His expression hardened again. "Alright, first move: the Fire Whip." Dagon showed her how to form a small ring of fire swirling around her fist, then twist 3 times. "It's a bit more advanced than a regular Fire Lash, because it's so concentrated. It's mainly used to cut something or stun someone. I'm going to assume your professional firebending teachers didn't teach you how to use the Fire Lash to your advantage against non-firebending opponents?"

"Uh… no?"

"So, everyone's instinct is to retaliate away from something that burns you, right? But with firebenders it doesn't bother us quite as much because we're used to the heat. But with non-firebenders, you can use this to your advantage. Direct the Fire Lash at their feet to get them to move where you want them to. They'll catch on to what you're doing but it'll take a lot of mental override to stop retaliating. If they're on the edge of a cliff, or just standing too close to you, you can use this to control where they go."

Maita made a mental note to use this if Dagon ever stood too close to her. He was a lot different in person than she'd always thought of him, though.

He showed her a few more techniques. The "Head Clap" involves holding the opponent's head between your hands at the temples and passing heat through, which could cook their brains if you do it for a long time, but in the short run really doesn't do much of anything.

Another move, the "Ground Burst" involves planting your palm on the ground and sending a small fireburst into the ground, pushing it an unseen distance and blowing it up from the ground when it's under your enemies.

Dagon looked like he was trying to think of more things to teach her when he asked, "By the way, you're not a lightning generator, are you?"

Maita laughed. "Like lightning bending? Of course not! Do you know how many of those there actually are?"

She hadn't meant it as a question, but Dagon answered anyway, "Probably more than you think."

"Right. Then why has no one seen any for decades?"

Dagon turned his head in her direction, but not all the way. "Maybe they're afraid that attention might lead to persecution. Kinda like having green fire."

"Dagon are you saying you're a lightning bender?" Maita still wasn't going to believe it until she saw it.

"Generator." He corrected.

"Wait, for real? Do it!"

"What? No--"

"Do it right here, I wanna see!"

"No Maita, it's not that simple."

"What, do you need like special conditions or something?"

"No. But I don't have charge control yet. I think it will come with practice, but even practicing is very dangerous."

She shook her head. "Sorry, I forgot you're all Mr. Serious, Mr. I'm-Too-Dangerous-For-You guy."

He turned his eyes toward her, but she couldn't read them. Something close to confusion. He appeared to piece things together and addressed her again. "I don't think you have the right state of mind to control lightning. I'm not gonna show you. You could get hurt."

She wanted to mock how serious he was being again, but that stung. "What's the "right" state of mind then? Dark, brooding teenager?"

"The right state of mind involves being able to separate the positive and negative energies inside your firebending, therefore also inside yourself. In order to do that, you need to achieve complete absence of emotion and a peaceful state of mind. When you bring the positive and negative energies back together, it creates lightning but you're not _bending_ it. You've just generated it, and at best you can try and direct it, but you _cannot_ control it completely."

Maita thought about this. "What happens if you try it but don't have the right state of mind?"

"You explode."

She burst out laughing.

He frowned. "It's not funny. You could get really hurt. There's two key players in lightning generation: Mind and Element. The Element has control over you, so you _must_ have control over your mind."

"Fine, fine. Don't worry I'm not gonna try it." She was a little insulted that he thought he knew her mind even though they hardly knew each other.

They started heading back through the woods.

After a few minutes, Dagon turned to her and asked, "Is it the black clothes?"

"What?"

"You called me a 'dark brooding teenager'. Is it because I wear all black sometimes?"

She was caught off guard. She was surprised he'd even heard her, let alone cared. "Uh, well yeah I guess. That and how you're always sneaking around and sitting on roofs and… not talking. I guess."

"…Oh." He pondered this. "Well, it wasn't my intention."

"Oh."

~//~


	40. Air Embassy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Act 2 Finale

Kota, Haider, and Ennis sat at the mouth of the cave and watched the large boat pull into port and begin loading passengers bound for New Yelsu. Roh had just left for the Air Embassy after ranting about what a "dickhead" name "New Yelsu" was because it was just "Suley" mixed up. Then Haider ranted back about how dumb the names "Panic and Tattoo" were, then Roh yelled back about how their names are "Panuk and Taatu".

Kota had a headache.

There was an alarming number of people and families getting on the boat with all their belongings headed to New Yelsu. It appeared that even after the Earth Kingdom's attempts to burn all the fliers that were dropped from the sky and onto doorsteps, some still got to the citizens. And as oppressive as the Earth Kingdom was, they weren't about to openly stop people from leaving. But no doubt they were taking stock. The people that left would never be welcomed back.

Haider had spotted Iden and Ara at the docks, helping load people on the boat, and he was keeping a close eye on them. They must have gotten here before sunrise because they were already there when he woke up. But no way were they getting out of his sight this time.

Kota scooted back into the cave to work on the campfire. With all the free time she and Haider had, they'd been doing odd jobs around the city, getting food, and working on their bending as well. Haider was learning some forms from the schoolkids he sometimes played ball with, and Kota had been teaching herself Fire Suppression.

It's a fairly rare skill, and most people who can suppress fire can only work with small amounts. The zoo fire and the palace fire had been too large for anyone to suppress. And it was even trickier since she had no proper training, other than knowing it involves moves that resemble waterbending more than firebending.

Still, she was pretty sure it wasn't just the wind that was making the campfire dim a little when she tried it.

"They're on the move!" Haider slapped the floor of the cave a few times to get Kota's attention, then pointed.

She crawled up behind him. Sure enough, Iden and Ara were heading off the dock and down toward the beach. The boat pulled the ramp back up and sailors started to untether the ropes. "They're not going with the boat?"

Haider formed a fist. "Wherever they're going, they won't get far. Fucking traitors."

Kota frowned at him, confused. "Just checking… you're calling _them_ traitors?"

"Yeah, because they left me to die. They're traitors. Why?"

She was genuinely impressed that he didn’t see the irony. "Nothing. Just checking."

They both watched the two small figures walk up the beach and start climbing a small rock formation.

Then the rock formation stood up. Then it started flying.

Haider leapt to his feet. "What the fuck! What is that!?"

"It's a dragon." Kota said quietly. The dragon looped around the boat once, then flew back towards town, its spread wings briefly blocking the sunlight as it passed overhead. Kota was mesmerized, and climbed out of the cave to watch it go further. But her heart sank when she realized where it was going.

She dropped back down into the cave so quickly she almost twisted her ankle. "Hade. They're going toward the Air Embassy." She said, terror in her voice.

Haider absorbed this for a moment, then quickly started kicking out the fire and gathering a few small weapons he'd made. He whistled for Ennis to stand up. "Let's go boy."

~

"If you all cooperate, no one will get hurt!" Ara shouted, tightening his grip on the young female airbender. He held a metal piston to her temple while she cried.

"Make one wrong move and she's dead!" Iden spat, quickly binding all the airbenders' wrists in rope and sitting them down on the large patio of the Air Embassy.

The shock of seeing a dragon had bought the siblings just enough time to snatch one poor unsuspecting airbender as hostage, and it was surprisingly easy to get the rest of them to cooperate.

Iden stepped back and surveyed the group. "Is this everyone?"

"Yes." One of the monks answered quickly.

"Panuk--" A nun shot him a confused glance.

"This is everyone." Panuk insisted.

Iden bent over a little to look him right in the eyes. He was almost as tall on his knees as she was standing up. "Would you swear on your life, that there's nobody else here?"

"Yes."

"Would you swear on _her_ life?"

His jaw set. "I've given you my answer. What is it you want from us?"

She stepped back. "Have any of you seen a girl around here, about sixteen, goes by the name "Roh?""

"No." Panuk spoke for everyone, as they all shook their heads. That was the truth.

"Any new airbenders come through here? Anyone who doesn't look like a regular airbender, who can suddenly airbend?"

Everyone watched Panuk for the answer. Waiting to see who he valued more, a random new person, or one of his own.

"Can't say that I have." He forced out quietly.

Iden turned sharply. "Ara. Keep an eye on them. Don't let her go. I'm just going to make sure there's no stone left unturned. Use the dragon to signal me if anything goes wrong." She clicked her tongue a few times and motioned toward an ornate tapestry that hung over one of the doorways. The dragon released a massive firebreath at it, incinerating most of it on contact, and the rest dropped to the ground, still smoldering. Iden stepped over it and started making her way through the building.

Ara stood and watched the airbenders awkwardly as they all listened to various breaking and smashing sounds inside.

After a few minutes of this, the dragon's ears perked up just a split second before Haider launched himself out of the bushes and knocked over Ara and the airbender girl, trying his damn hardest to suppress a battle cry. He quickly covered Ara's mouth and smashed the ground upward at his wrist, knocking the piston away, and then covered Ara's hands with the earth, handcuffing him to the ground.

"Clear!" He shouted.

Kota sprinted over from the bushes and led the young airbender girl away carefully. The other airbenders watched but didn't make a sound. Some of them were trying to airbend out of their rope cuffs, but since they were all chained together they couldn't pull any large moves without hurting each other.

The dragon reared her head back and let out a massive fireblast and screech.

Kota quickly slid to her knees behind the airbenders and started burning the ropes carefully.

Haider was still holding his hand over Ara's mouth. "Hurry!"

"I AM!"

Suddenly, someone flew in from the other room and slid up next to Kota, light on their feet.

"Roh!"

"Shh!" Roh started burning through the ropes too, working from the other side.

"Ara!" Iden called from a nearby hallway. "Did something actually happen or are you full of shit?"

"Go, go!" Kota whispered, ushering the freed airbenders out of the patio. "Get out of the building."

They started to jump off the patio one by one, over the three-story drop.

Iden burst back into the room and took in the sight of Ara facedown, hands covered by earth and Haider sitting on top of him. She rolled her eyes. She faked a lunge at Haider, which was enough to scare him off. He scrambled back and Ara pulled himself out of the handcuffs a little too easily and stood, trying to get the dust out of his messy hair.

The last few airbender hostages ran off, but Panuk and Taatu stayed, staring at Roh in astonishment. She shook her hand out from the heat, smoke drifting from her fingertips.

"You were firebending?" Panuk said, near a whisper. "You're--"

"The Avatar, we know. Big wow." Iden cut him off. "Now, if you wanna _peacefully_ come with us, that'd save everyone a lot of trouble, but if not, I mean," She huffed a laugh, "we have a dragon. So… your choice. We can do this the easy way or the hard way."

"Hard!" Haider spat in the dirt, ready for a fight.

"No, no. Medium's fine." Kota said.

But Roh held her arms out, signaling for everyone to stop. "What do you want us for? An Earth Kingdom Prison?"

Iden shook her head, "Not anymore. Suley wants you now. I don't care why, I'm only following orders."

Roh considered this, and stepped forward. "If you take me, you'll leave them alone?"

"Who, your dumbass friends or the airbenders?"

"All of them."

"Roh, don't let them take you alone." Kota warned.

"Sorry, only room for one of you on the dragon." Iden said. "We want the Avatar alone, or no deal."

Roh stepped right up to Iden, unafraid. "You told us your orders were to bring me somewhere, and "get rid of" anyone who knew about me. If I go with you, willingly, what are you gonna do to them?"

"It doesn't matter, because you're not going anywhere without us!" Kota shouted from behind her.

"Kota, shut up!" Roh snapped.

"She's right!" Haider yelled, stepping towards Roh. "If they plan on hurting us, do you really think they're about to TELL YOU?" 

Roh bit her lip, thinking. She turned back to Iden and shook her head. "No. I'm not leaving them."

Iden shrugged. "Fine. Hard way." She clicked her tongue.

The dragon immediately released a massive fire breath, blowing them all back.

While they were down, Iden pounced, grabbing onto Roh's collar and trying to reach all the pressure points to chi block her.

"What's a matter? Daddy take all your poison darts and tear gas?" Roh flung her away with her feet.

Kota immediately pinned Iden where she landed, but Iden kicked her legs out and flipped over, so she was pinning Kota. She grinned.

A second later, she was knocked away by a hurricane-force blast of air, slamming her into the far wall. Kota looked at Roh but she was still getting up.

Panuk's robes settled from the wind. His open palm was out. "You have no right to take anyone against their will. I fight on the side of the Avatar." 

Haider grinned wide and drew up a rock arm from the dust and pebbles, forming a fist, ready to go. He lunged at Iden with his rock arm, launching himself from the earth, but his foot was grabbed midair by Ara, who threw him to the ground.

Iden stepped around them and went straight for Roh, but Kota was quicker. She pressed her palm to the ground and sent a ground blast through the earth, exploding the ground beneath Iden's feet in flames.

Panuk and Taatu watched with their jaws dropped. They'd never seen fights with multiple kinds of bending, let alone these completely off-book moves the kids were throwing around.

The blast shot Iden back uncontrollably, but she ended up landing lightly on her toes. She lunged at Roh again, but Haider raised a small chunk of earth in front of her foot, tripping her.

Haider openly laughed at that, until Ara clocked him hard on the side of the head. Apparently, Ara wasn't playing around anymore. He grabbed Haider's head and smashed it against the ground several times before an air blast from Taatu, fire blast from Kota, and Kota herself all came flying at him. She grabbed Ara by the neck and the force sent them tumbling across the ground several times.

Iden clicked her tongue, and the dragon sent another, longer fire blast at Roh, Panuk, and Taatu. With the dragon in the mix they were clearly outmatched.

Panuk stayed down that time, clear burns on his head. Taatu struggled to get up, but Roh held out a hand for them to stay back.

Haider, who had been closest to the dragon, had stayed mostly under the line of fire, but was still bleeding from his head. 

"Roh, RUN!" Kota shouted from the ground.

Roh was about to get defiant, thinking Kota expected her to leave her and Haider, as if they could take them on their own. But then she realized. They weren't gonna win this. They were all gonna have to run from Iden and Ara at some point.

"Go ahead, leave." Iden sounded smug. "If we can't get you, we'll take out the airbenders. Or the villagers. If… that's okay with you?"

Haider bent a clump of dirt into Iden's mouth to get her to stop talking. As she stopped to spit it out, he lunged at her with his rock arm cocked back.

Without warning, blackness swirled in on his left, and a flash of bright yellow flames knocked him over before dissipating. He rolled over to look at what had happened. Everyone else was equally astonished.

Ara held one fist low, and a splayed hand higher up.

As soon as Haider tried to get up, another swirl of black fire swept across the ground at him, ending in a flash of yellow-orange flame that burned his face. "Aah! What the fuck?"

Iden smirked. "Aw, they thought they were the only firebenders here. Isn't that cute, Ara?"

Ara held his stance, ready to strike again.

Kota was still on the ground behind him, and she took advantage of the position, raising her hand to strike, but as soon as she did, Iden sailed through the air at her, landing a solid kick to the side of her head and quickly chi-blocking her while she was down.

Roh, Haider, and the two airbenders were about to jump in when Iden picked up something off the ground and held it to Kota's head.

The piston.

Roh froze, her blood running cold. She couldn't help but hear that same quick snap, see the same dark red spreading like spilled ink under the skin, but this time on Kota. "No." She choked out.

Everyone else froze as well, and for a moment, the only movement was the breeze.

"Let's go, Avatar." Iden nodded toward the dragon. "I don’t have to do it."

Roh realized with a sick feeling that Haider was grinning. She recalled his earlier theory about how Iden wasn't really going to hurt Kota, but he wouldn't risk it right now, would he?

She already knew the answer.

"Nice try, freaks." Haider started, but Roh pushed past him.

She held her arms out in surrender. "I'll go. Please. Put it down." She saw a million scenarios where Iden slipped, or triggered it accidentally, or got startled, or _anything_ , and she felt like she wouldn't be able to breathe until the barrel was away from Kota's head.

Kota looked just slightly less shell-shocked than Roh. She was chi blocked, so she could barely even move right now, let alone bend her way out of this.

"Roh, are you kidding me? Don't _go towards them!"_ Haider called, as if she were stupid.

She held her wrists out as Ara pulled a steel cord out of their saddlebag to bind her with. She couldn't burn through these.

Haider approached. "Roh, stop! We have the advantage what are you doing? Kota, let's go!" He snapped his fingers. "You know she's not really going to do it, what's your problem?"

"STOP TALKING!" Roh screamed, with the intensity of more voices than just her own. As if she'd already seen Kota's death, funeral, burial, and an empty life without her and had the chance to come back and change it. She was almost certain he was going to get her killed.

She realized she was staring at empty space. Haider had dropped to the ground, hunched over and holding his neck.

She looked down at her hand. Slightly splayed, slightly twisted. She'd pulled his words right out of his mouth, and the air as well. But this time, everyone had seen it.

She didn't care. She let Ara tie her up and she willingly climbed on the dragon while everyone else could do nothing but watch.

Iden cautiously let Kota go, and Roh finally let out the breath she'd been holding.

She was already resigned to going with Iden and Ara, but Haider thought that was the cue to keep fighting. He quickly bent up a column of earth that shot Iden into the air, but she was still holding Kota and they both went flying.

Iden landed standing up on the dragon's neck, and grabbed the reins.

Kota wasn't so lucky. Still a bit numb from the chi blocking, she flailed a little and came down _hard_ on her right foot, a small _snap_ breaking through the silence. She rolled onto her side and put her head down quietly, covering her face.

"Kota?" Roh breathed. She turned to Haider. "What the fuck is wrong with you!?"

"I'm fine!" Kota clenched her teeth and lifted her head.

"We'll take care of her." Panuk called.

"You're just gonna let them go!?" Haider turned around. 

Iden snapped the reins and the dragon lifted off the ground, its wings blowing dust and chunks of broken marble from the building everywhere. Panuk created a small wind shield around himself, Kota, and Haider, but Haider broke free. He charged after the dragon and boosted himself with a small column of earth, jumping ito the air and grabbing the underside of the dragon's tail.

Iden and Ara didn't notice at all. Haider clung on, and the dragon took off into the sky.

~//~


	41. Act III New Yelsu

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Beginning of Act III. Roh gets a forced tour of her old hometown.

Mayor Suley was still adjusting to his new office. Odei's office had been obscenely large with so much wasted space that a whole family could live there. And that's exactly what Suley did. Walls were put up, and the office now housed the entire family of one of his top advisors. Other unnecessary rooms in the palace, such as the library, dining hall, and some bedrooms were also being used to house other families of his advisors and generals. The master bedroom was still fire-damaged. Repairing it would be a waste of taxpayer money. Although, now that there are no taxes in New Yelsu, he wasn't sure where the money for heating and plumbing would come from. Nobody was paying the mayor for his services.

He would figure that out later. For now, he was trying to figure out how to stop tripping over the tablecloth that had been draped over the small folding table he was using as a desk, in an old office that was slightly larger than the table itself. All the desks in the mansion had been sold, and no mayor needed anything more than a folding table, right? He could keep files in boxes next to him, but it had still looked unprofessional. So he draped a tablecloth over it. Now it looked good. But the tablecloth was too big and kept tripping him.

Just as he was bent over to tuck the cloth in, the door flew open.

He bolted upright, smoothing out his robes before realizing who it was. "Hey! I don't barge into your room without knocking, do I?"

" _Some_ times." Ara coughed.

"I told you not to return until you have the Avatar, so I assume you're bringing good news?"

Iden nodded, copying Suley's stiff, formal stance while Ara slouched unashamedly. "Yes, and one of her friends as well. We caught him trying to tag along."

"So where are they?"

"Uh, well that's what we came to ask. We were going to bring them to the holding cells in the basement, but those… aren't there anymore. So they're right here. Where do you want them?" Iden gestured just outside the doorway, where Roh and Haider stood shackled, two guards on each.

"Oh, excellent. Bring the girl in."

Roh was led into the office and pushed into a chair, still cuffed.

Suley waved the guards and his siblings away, and they stepped outside, closing the door.

Suley sat down in his chair, nonchalantly kicking the excess tablecloth under the desk. He smiled warmly. "Avatar. I'm so glad to finally meet you in person."

"Wish I could say the same." Roh said in a low voice, looking at him with her head tilted down, eyes narrowed. She was smudged with dirt and scratches, dust from the Air Embassy still speckling her hair.

"I understand these aren't ideal conditions, but I saw no other way to get you to speak with me."

Roh snorted. "You coulda asked."

"You have to understand, I've had many misfortunes in my life, and when I finally achieved my dream of becoming mayor, and getting a chance to reshape the city for the better, I had the misfortune of it being the Avatar's hometown. I want you to understand that this is not personal, and I truly never expected the Avatar to be thrown in the mix. That being said, I'd like to show you what New Yelsu is truly about, the true freedom and cooperation of a society, and I think you'll share my vision for the future of New Yelsu."

"I'll never give you my support, if that's what you're asking."

"Now, that's a very closed-minded approach, isn't it, Roh-Shan? You haven't even seen it yet. You should never say never."

"You. Will. NEVER have my support. Never."

Suley rubbed his temple and muttered, "I never expected so much of my job as mayor to involve arguing with teenagers."

Roh leaned forward. "You understand _why_ though, right? I think you know I'm not just being stubborn for the hell of it."

"I truly don't. You haven't even heard my plans, you haven't even seen the progress the city is making, or spoken to my satisfied citizens! You don't even know me!"

"I know that you pushed hundreds of people out of their homes. I know that as a General you ordered the slaughter of innocent civilians. I know that you played a role in the zoo fire, which killed several endangered species, and I know you played a role in the death of Mayor Odei, knowing it would be blamed on a young girl who did nothing wrong, and that she'd be executed for it. And I know you ordered your police force to _murder_ anyone who didn't immediately pledge loyalty to you."

Suley tapped his fingers together patiently, not looking Roh in the eyes. "I understand why you would want to attribute your pain to one person. I'm sorry you feel that way."

Roh wasn't falling for it. He was just trying to get her riled up and she was far beyond caring what he had to say. "And you abandoned the Fire Military. And you sent two mismatched goons to take out me and my friends."

"Believe me, I know they suck but they got the job done, didn't they?"

"Why, though!? You have your city, why are you still coming after me?"

"I really think you should see the city." He stood. "And it would be rude of me not to offer my guest the grand tour. Let's take a ride on the dragon, shall we?"

~

Roh never technically agreed to the dragon tour, but it was pretty clear she didn't have a choice. Since she couldn't climb with her hands shackled, the dragon lowered its wing as a ramp.

The saddle on Suley's dragon was much more spacious than Iden's, and the dragon himself was bigger as well.

Suley waited at the bottom while Roh climbed. He turned to one of his advisors and said quietly, "Get rid of the boy. He's useless to us. And you sent for someone to take out the girl that was with her, right?"

The advisor looked conflicted. "Yes. And just to be clear--"

"Yes, kill them. Why does nobody know what "take them out" means?"

~

A few minutes later, Roh and Suley were airborne, flying over the ruins of what used to be her city. Entire neighborhoods full of houses had been razed, and shoddy new ones put up in their place. Every remaining building had clearly been looted and stripped of anything valuable, including roof tiles. Few people walked the bare streets, and they all seemed to be avoiding each other.

Roh had to take her eyes away. "This is awful. Why would you ever want to show this off to anyone?"

"The city was not designed to be visually pleasing to you, Avatar. What you see is what people really want. This is what they choose to build with their full freedoms, how they choose to live. This is a very early stage and, as they say, Ba Sing Se wasn't built in a day! It's very humbling to build one's life up from nothing. I don’t expect a child to understand."

"You're right, I don't."

Suley steered the dragon down toward the street, and pulled him into a landing. Ash drifted up from the ground in their wake, causing one citizen nearby to start coughing.

Without waiting for permission, Roh jumped off the dragon and broke her landing at the last second with a small burst of air. She landed lightly on her feet, hands still shackled behind her back, and looked around.

Several citizens had come out to see the commotion. They all looked dirty, and most of them wore cloths over their mouth and nose to protect from the ash. Silence settled with the ash and Roh was afraid any noises might scare these people back into hiding.

Suley climbed down and clapped a hand on Roh's shoulder. "You see, we have citizens from all walks of life, Fire Nation, Earth Kingdom, even a few Water Tribe. Benders, non-benders, men, women, children. What other society do you know of where people of all backgrounds live together in peace, Roh-Shan?" He grinned proudly.

Roh didn't have a chance to answer.

"Are you an airbender?" A small child walked right up to her.

Roh looked down. She was still wearing traditional air nomad clothing from the Embassy, and had just airbent to get down, although she could dismiss that as just a good jump. But she didn't have a chance to answer that either.

"Roh? Is that you?" A girl her age stepped forward. She looked scared and dirty, like everyone else, but only a few people in the world called her Roh.

"Ashoka? What are you still doing here?"

"My family decided not to move with everyone else. My dad didn't want to leave his bar. But we're moving now. We're leaving today."

"Why?"

Suley held Roh's shoulder and pulled her back. "Personal reasons, I'm sure." He said loudly. "Let's--"

But Ashoka wasn't having it. She stepped back in front of Roh. "I watched our neighbor get murdered last night. My little brother saw it. And the killer said he's coming for him tonight. Nobody's doing anything to protect us, murder isn't even illegal here! It's LEGAL for that man to kill my two-year-old brother!"

Suley jerked Roh back again. "Nothing is legal or illegal, child. There is no law. That's just how it works. Some people thrive here, it's not for everyone. Why don't you kill the killer instead?"

A quick buzz of anger and anticipation shot through Roh's veins. She wanted to tell Suley how stupid that concept was, but at the same time she wanted to kill that killer herself.

The mother of the young child stepped forward. "Who on earth would ever thrive here?"

Roh knew the answer. She would. She could wander New Yelsu, killing everyone who threatened the innocent.

"Nobody's forcing you to stay!" Suley barked.

"The Earth Kingdom won't take us back!"

"Well maybe you shouldn't have left!" Another man stepped forward, yelling at the woman.

"Don't yell at my wife!" Her husband pushed her back and squared off with the other man.

"It's a free city, I'll do whatever I please! You can't oppress me!"

"If there's no laws, who says I can't oppress you? I'll oppress you all I like!"

Suley started to drag Roh back to the dragon.

"Roh, why are you with him?" Ashoka asked, almost accusing.

Roh opened her mouth but Suley quickly covered it with his hand. "We're leaving!"

She breathed in deep through her nose, and let out a breath of fire.

"Gah!" Suley yanked his burned hand back, and Roh shouted,

"I'm the Avatar!"

Everyone's heads turned. She knew Suley had been trying to kill everyone who knew about her, but everyone would find out eventually, right? The more people that know, the safer her friends are.

"She's a prisoner of the Fire Nation Capital, she'll say anything to get your attention. It's pathetic." Suley announced.

Roh blew him back with a burst of air, and he flew back so hard he hit the dragon's leg. Then she let out another small fire breath into the sky.

"She just bended air and fire!" The little kid squealed, but his mother quickly scooped him up and covered his mouth, eyeing Suley with fear.

Ashoka was watching her, shocked.

"If you're the Avatar, you gotta do something here! You can't let killers run free!" The father of the boy shouted, turning his attention away from his fight.

"If you don't like it, leave! Go somewhere in the Fire Nation, fuck the Earth Kingdom!" The other man said, and several other cheers of "Fuck the Earth Kingdom!" broke out.

"Um…" They were expecting Roh to solve this. How can she solve it? "Uh…"

"Great, _this_ is our new Avatar. Bring Avatar Tyric back!"

"Yeah!" The same group of people who just chanted "Fuck the Earth Kingdom" were now cheering to bring back the last Earth Avatar.

"We don't need Tyric, we just need peace!" The father shouted back.

"You want peace? Hey, Avatar, go kill yourself so we can get the next Air Avatar! That'll bring peace. In sixteen years."

Roh didn't expect his words to get to her but they did. "You didn't even give me a chance to do anything yet!"

"Everyone calm down!" Suley shouted.

"Free nation, make me!" Someone in the back mocked.

"A free land is not for everyone, I never claimed that it was. If it doesn't suit you, I recommend you leave but of course I cannot make you. Your home nation not taking you back is not my fault. But if this place is for killers, as you claim, then I ask you to ponder this: if all the world's killers come here… have I not made the world itself a safer place?"

Roh actually started to ponder that before someone else said,

"If you kept your killers in your walls, it would be! But you keep expanding your territory. Plenty of us never even moved to New Yelsu, New Yelsu moved to us. You're already pushing the boundaries of the Fire Nation Capital, what's next, Mayor Suley? Cause it's looking like "New Yelsu" is about to be "New Fire Nation""

"What?" Roh wanted to hear more, but without warning Suley tapped hard on her back in several places, and she went limp.

He picked her up under the arms and dragged her toward the dragon.

Ashoka looked around, knowing she could use these riled-up people to her advantage. "He's attacking the Avatar! He chi blocked her! Stop him!"

Several people started shouting and charging toward them.

Suley shoved her onto the dragon's wing, and the dragon flipped her up into the saddle. Roh was able to move her legs enough to push herself toward the edge and look over the side of the saddle.

Below, Suley raised one hand high, the other in a fist down low, and swept his fist in front of him in a wide arc. The ground swirled and caught up in black fire, dragging up as high as a wall and spreading up some nearby buildings as well. With a curl of his thumb, the entire wall of blackness flashed over in bright orange and yellow flame.

Everyone screamed and ran for shelter. Suley climbed back onto the dragon and snapped the reigns. They were sky-high in a matter of seconds.

Roh twisted herself and looked up at him. "What did you just do?"

"What, you think you're the only firebender around?"

She'd just heard that somewhere else… "Ara. Ara bent black fire too."

Suley snorted. "He's not nearly as good as me."

"Are you… his dad?"

Suley choked on his laugh, "How old do I look?"

"But you're related?"

He didn't answer.

She recalled the way he'd bantered with them earlier. It had reminded her of Maita. "You're brothers."

"Congratulations. Is this some big revelation for you?"

"We'll see." Roh tried to keep him talking so he wouldn't notice what she was doing. "So how come your little sister is ten times better at fighting than you or Ara, and she's not even a bender?" She bit her lip hard as she folded her thumb in even more. The shackles were just loose enough that she could force them off, but they were gonna have to take some skin with it.

"She was raised in the Fire Navy, she's military-trained. And just to be clear, you _haven't_ seen me fight."

Roh felt wetness on her hands and got lightheaded as she realized it was her own blood. But she was too far to quit. And when they were off, she was gonna draw the air out of his lungs until he passed out, then tie him to a tree on that island between here and Hiyori, where nobody would ever find him and he could get eaten by wildlife like that man in the shack. There was a length of rope bundled in one end of the saddle just calling her name.

He steered the dragon lower as they neared the ocean, coming up on her old neighborhood.

"So this is "your" city. This is what you were so damn proud of? It's a disgrace. These people aren't free."

He kept his cool, but she could tell he'd come close to snapping. "These people are freer than you've ever been in your life. Complete freedom is not ideal for everyone, and therefore my city is not for everyone. All we want is to exist in our own little corner of the world."

"Sounds like you're taking up the whole Fire Nation."

"I'm not responsible for New Yelsu citizens who expand their property lines. If they're doing something illegal in another town, that's the town's job to arrest them. But as long as they're in my city, they're safe. I've disbanded my police force, most of them are New Yelsu residents now, or working as guards."

"So if someone goes and murders a school full of children in another city, then comes back here, you wouldn't let the police from that city arrest him?"

"No. If a New Yelsu resident is targeted by an outside organization, I will send guards to offer protection. If they so desire, the police can come in here and kill him, but they can't arrest him for themselves, and they're subject to getting killed here as well."

"You're not describing freedom. You're describing anarchy. Freedom is not the same as lawlessness." Roh got shivers up her spine as she felt the metal shackle scrape bone. This was a lot harder than she'd thought.

"Freedom is freedom! It's doing whatever you want without abiding by someone else's idea of a right and wrong! We were born with the ability to smash stuff with a hammer, we should be able to smash stuff with a hammer! We were born with the ability to kill, we should be able to kill! It's not like I'm asking the whole world to be like this, but some of us want to experience the world that was rightfully given to us!"

Roh narrowed her eyes. "The world was not _given_ to you, the world is burdened by you."

Just as he turned back, she lunged for the rope with her newly-freed hand, but it was shaking from pain and blood loss. She quickly brought her other hand in front of her and looped the rope around his wrist as he released the reins.

He looked at the rope around his wrist, and started laughing. "That's adorable. This is a fifty-foot rope, what are you gonna do, tie my hands fifty feet apart? Lead me on a fifty-foot leash?" He easily flung the rope away.

Roh had intended to do more with the rope. She'd imagined strangling him, keeping him right on the edge between life and death until the dragon reached the island. But now her entire left arm wasn't responding to the commands her brain was sending. The world around her started to get far too bright, and she felt herself swaying. She didn't dare look at her hand, but she knew it was bad.

Suley tied his end of the rope to a hook in the dragon's saddle. Seeing that Roh was effectively going into shock, he grabbed the reins with one hand and steered the dragon over the sea.

"The world is burdened by _you._ We need a peacekeeping Avatar, not a dictator Avatar."

"You just want an Avatar that agrees with you." She forced out, forming a fist with her good hand.

"I actually prefer _no_ Avatar." He smiled and looked out over the sea.

Roh realized what he was about to do. The water would only make her lose blood faster. But it might trigger the Avatar state if she got close enough to death… She glanced back at the shore, at the burned pile of rubble that used to be her home.

"If you're looking for your friends to come and rescue you, don't waste your time. The boy is probably dead right now, and I've sent someone to take care of that girl as well." He watched her sway even more, struggling to sit up straight, blood soaking her shirt where her hand rested. He lowered his voice, as if someone might hear, "You'll be joining them momentarily."

Roh didn't have time to react before he quickly tied a loop of rope around her neck and tightened it.

Adrenaline briefly broke through the shock once she realized what he was going to do, with the other end of the rope tied to the saddle, but she didn't have enough time to react. He grinned at her and waved a mocking goodbye, before hefting her over the edge of the saddle.

She dropped quickly toward the water, but they were _more_ than fifty feet up.

She didn't have the time nor power to even attempt reaching the Avatar state, and certainly not enough time to burn the rope with a fireblast.

She had mere _seconds._

_tick,_

_tock,_

_tick…_

She saw something bright snap above her head, just enough time to make out the curl of a fire whip, and a moment later, she hit the water.

Her vision finally whited out, and all she heard was the echoing swirl of being underwater. For a moment, it was total peace.

~

"Grab her!" Dagon shouted, trying to steady his stance but the small rowboat rocked violently in the waves, and it tipped when Maita dove over the edge to grab her sister.

Suley turned the dragon straight for them, speeding towards him with a wide open mouth that could incinerate all of them in under a minute.

For the moment both girls were in the water, the boat steadied enough for Dagon to focus. He closed his eyes, hands in front of his chest, and two fingers up on each hand. He exhaled, separated his hands, and started a wide circling motion, able to completely turn off his mind to what was happening right now.

His eyes shot open and he thrust one hand forward. Electricity crackled in the air and his hair stood on end. A jagged bolt of lightning launched from his fingertips and flowed right into the dragons' open mouth.

With a horrendous shriek that echoed off the mountains, the dragon recoiled and lost altitude, his tail brushing the water and nearly knocking Suley off, before righting himself and retreating weakly toward the shore.

Dagon was knocked off his feet as Maita grabbed the edge of the rowboat. His fingertips were burned. He knelt down to grab Roh's arms and pull her in, then helped Maita in.

"Did you do it?" She asked breathlessly, checking her sister over for injuries and pulling the rope off her neck. 

Dagon gestured toward the shore, where the dragon had crash landed in the trees.

Maita barely acknowledged it as she found the shredded hand, the source of the blood loss. "Shit. Shit! We need a, uh, tear a strip off your shirt. Tourniquet. We need a tourniquet."

Dagon complied, taking off his shirt and tearing a thick strip from it. Maita tied the strip just above Roh's elbow while Dagon pressed the remaining cloth onto where he thought the blood was coming from.

"I got it." Maita tied off the tourniquet and took over holding the cloth. "Just get us back to shore."

Dagon picked up the paddle and started rowing. "Nice fire whip, by the way."

~//~


	42. Desert

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kota's plans of rescuing Roh are thrown completely away when she and Taatu find themselves fighting for their lives.

"Really, it's fine, I don't need anything." Kota respectfully pushed Yuta's hand away. "I can wait for the next healing session tomorrow." Her ankle was propped up on a pillow. At first, it was swollen so bad in some places that she thought the skin might break. But they'd brought her on a bison to the healer in town, who said it would take multiple sessions. She'd been able to partly heal it for now, but would need to work on it more in a few hours.

Yuta sat down next to her on the rock-hard bed. "Bad news about that, actually. We sent someone to check. She's not able to see you again until the day after tomorrow. Apparently there was a fire last night. It started in an abandoned house, but spread to a barn and a handful of people were injured trying to save the animals. On top of the regular amount of patients, the line's pretty backed up."

Kota sighed. "Just my luck, I guess."

"It probably won't be for another day. Your Water Wolf is getting along well with the bison, by the way." She tried to get Kota to smile back.

Kota kind of regretted saying the pain in her ankle wasn't that bad.

Yuta must have read her face, because she held the steaming mug out to her again. "Please, drink this. Blindleaf tea. The blindleaf plant is native to the Air Temples. It will numb you and help you sleep."

Kota gratefully drank the tea even as it burned her throat. She let her head fall back against the pillow. "Wow."

Yuta laughed softly. "It takes effect pretty quick, especially for someone who's never had it before."

By the time Panuk stepped into the small Air Embassy room a few moments later, her vision was already swimming. Yuta took the empty mug and left the two alone.

Panuk sat in a chair opposite the bed. "How are you feeling?"

"Better already." Kota said, but it was clear in her voice that she was worried about other things.

"You know, I was just a boy when Avatar Tyric came to the Southern Air Temple to train with us. He started in the kids' class with me, even though he was a teenager. It's not often someone gets to work closely with two Avatars." He shook his head. "I still can't believe I didn't realize about Shan. Is that her real name? I thought those kids called her Roh?"

Kota barely nodded. "Roh-Shan. Roh for short."

He watched Kota's face for a moment. "Are you the one that's been to the spirit world?"

"What?"

"Shan told me she had a friend who had dreams as a kid, but they weren't actually dreams, they were trips to the spirit world."

Kota processed this for a split second, but the blindleaf tea was taking over too much of her mind to think straight. Her eyes kept closing as much as she tried to keep them open, but she didn't want to fight sleep anymore, she wanted him to leave.

He gave her a sympathetic look. "I'm so sorry. I'll let you get some rest, but I'd love to talk about the spirit world with you sometime."

She was out before he even left the room.

~

Kota's dreams are usually filled with abstract adventures, wild locations, and unbound by the laws of the natural world. Her dreams are soundless and often involve feeling real pain. So when she opened her eyes and saw a dark figure standing over her, moving her out of the room, she felt nothing and heard everything. And as much as it felt like a dream, she knew it wasn't.

She couldn't feel the man's hands as he carried her, but she could clearly hear his ragged breath.

She fought the tea's effects hard, trying to make a sound or move. The smallest sound escaped her mouth, and the man carrying her glanced down.

She caught a flash of movement ahead, and he looked back up again.

"Where do you think you're going?"

The person carrying her didn't even hesitate as he raised a blowdart launcher to his lips and a moment later, she heard a choked cry and a soft _thud._

The man threw the unconscious young airbender over his shoulder and continued on.

She caught a glimpse of the star-speckled night sky just before she passed out again.

~

In soundless sleep again, Kota dreamt that she could fly. She had wings, like a bird, as she does in many dreams. She watched the sun as it set over the hills, painting the sky with wide brush strokes of every color, until it dipped below the horizon and the first stars could be seen in the blue sky behind her. She got up, and started flying West across the land towards the sun until she caught up, sat on a hill, and watched another sunset. She saw many sunsets in a short span of time, and as she drifted into consciousness, she had the sense that a lot of time had passed.

She hadn't had any memorable dreams since leaving home with Roh, so when she first stepped out of her dream world, she thought for a moment that she was back in her own bed. A small jolt of adrenaline forced the dream away as she wondered if she'd need to defend herself today or if things would be calm.

Then she felt her head resting on a rock floor and thought she was still in the cave with Roh and Haider. Usually when she woke up before Roh, she'd pretend to still be asleep so she could feel Roh leave a soft kiss on her cheek or neck before taking off for the Air Embassy at dawn.

But Roh wasn't there. She could tell because she was cold. And pain gripped her head as she opened her eyes.

The open window cast the whole room in the nighttime tones of blue, leaving shadows in the low light. Beneath the window was a small sand drift, blown in from the desolate, sandy landscape outside. The room itself was bare; dilapidated rock walls cracking and a window with no covering.

She moved her feet and kicked something warm, which sent a shockwave of pain from her bad ankle up through her shin and into her stomach. She grit her teeth and let out a sharp hiss.

"Hmmh?" A sleepy voice mumbled.

A hand clumsily reached out and landed on her good leg. Adrenaline was dumped into her veins, fighting through the fog and headache enough to let her sit up and panic.

She looked down at the hand, and followed it up to a sleepy airbender boy with tan skin and messy dark hair. There were chains wrapped around his wrists, and she realized hers were chained too. "Who're you?" She mumbled.

He sat up as well, looking as exhausted as she felt. "Where…?"

As if stepping out of a cloud, the fogginess of her mind lifted away and left her with panic and clear thoughts. "Wake up. Where are we?"

He sat up and slumped against the wall for a moment, then the fog seemed to visibly lift away from his head too. He whipped his head to her. "Where are we?"

"I just said that. Who are you?"

"Taatu, Northern Air Temple. You're the firebender girl, Shan's friend right?"

"Kota." She took a deep breath, trying to force down the panic as she remembered what happened last night.

"Oh shit. We were kidnapped, weren't we?

"Shh!" Kota was already testing the strength of the chains, which seemed to go right into the wall.

"Oh shit. Oh shit. What do we do?" He swallowed hard. "I think I'm gonna pass out."

"Relax! We can get out of here but not by panicking." She took in his terrified expression. Despite the 'cultural learning' and uncomfortable training, Air Nomad kids were notoriously sheltered. "It's like you've never been kidnapped before."

His terror hesitantly turned to relief for a moment, "Oh, you've done this before?"

"Probably those freak kids. The dumbass wonder twins. I can take them, don't worry." She was more worried about what they might've done to Roh, or Haider.

"Hah, yeah, those kids were dumb. They even left the window wide open for us." He blew a swirl of air towards the window, stirring up the sand on the other side of the room. "You still have your bending too, right?"

Kota lit up a small flame on her fingertips, then closed her hand and put it out. "Yeah."

"Good, we can take them right now! HEY DUMBASSES! COME FIGHT US!" He shouted.

Kota realized the major differences in this situation just a moment too late. Chains, sandy foreign landscape, no door…

She felt sick to her stomach as a massive shadow blocked out the moonlight, and two large booted-feet stuck through the window.

The metal boots struck the ground with a deep _clunk_ , and an unfamiliar, muscular figure looked down at them. A thin metal knife at his side glinted in the moonlight as he stepped toward her.

He crouched down right in front of her, his face inches from hers. He slowly pulled out his knife and held it up to the side of her face, as if measuring her.

She kept her jaw set, refusing to let him see her fear, knowing that's probably what he wanted. Taatu next to her was shaking and nearly crying, but she held steady.

Without a word, the man held the blade at eye level between himself and Kota, then ran his finger smoothly along the sharpened edge.

It cut with terrifying ease, like butter. His expression didn't change as his blood dripped into her lap. He reached forward and slowly dragged his finger along her neck, leaving two X marks, one on either side.

His hand was unnaturally steady, holding the knife between them.

Kota knew better than to wait for whatever he was going to do. She readied her hand behind her to blast him in the face.

He glanced toward her hand and slowly shook his head, warning her.

"What do you want from us?" She said, her voice surprisingly steady.

He just stared at her, tilting his head slightly. He reached toward her hand, and she pulled away, opening her mouth and blasting a shot of fire right in his face.

After a few seconds of continuous fire, she was spent, and the fire burned out. He hadn't moved his head at all. Hadn't even flinched.

In one quick motion, he snapped the knife away and plunged the blade into Taatu's thigh with a loud grunt, not even looking.

Taatu looked down in shock for a moment. The long blade had gone right through his thigh and into the floor. He gasped a few quick breaths and let out cry of shock and pain. He kept gasping, staring at the knife until the man roughly yanked it out, the sound and sensation making Taatu nauseous. He gagged slightly as he covered both ends of the wound with his hands.

The man turned back to Kota. He pulled out a small cloth and wiped the blade clean in front of her face. He pointed to her mouth and shook his head again slowly, aiming the knife toward Taatu.

Kota got the message.

"What do you want?" She repeated, weaker.

In another quick motion, he brought his free hand to her chin and shoved her head back against the wall with her chin up, her neck exposed. He slowly raised the knife and pressed the blade onto the center of one of the X's. She felt a few drops of blood drip down her shirt but didn't dare move. He took his time, sliding the knife across her neck with careful precision until he reached the other X.

Taatu had gone silent, wholeheartedly believing he was watching someone die.

She doesn't remember the rest. She doesn't remember him pulling the knife away, and she doesn't remember him leaving but when Taatu's hand covered her neck, he was gone.

"Kota! Hey!" He gently tapped between her eyes and she blinked, coming out of her daze. He had taken the shoulder covering off his airbender outfit and pressed it to her neck. "Can you breathe? Can you hear me? Holy crap. Holy shit, fuck. We're both gonna die."

She looked down. His pant leg had minimal blood, and he'd bunched up his pants around it to keep the wounds covered. There was a puddle of blood under his knee, though.

"Your knee." She said just above a whisper, pointing.

"You can talk!" He let out a relieved breath, bordering on a laugh. "Don't worry about me. It's your blood. You were on the floor for a minute. I'm sorry I didn't act sooner, I really thought you were dead." His voice shook.

"A minute?" She asked. She looked down at the blood-soaked collar of her shirt, the drips running down the crook of her elbow, to her fingertips. Nearly dried.

"Maybe two. I'm really really sorry. I swear I thought you were dead. I didn't know what to do and--"

She took over holding the cloth to her neck, gently pushing his hand away. "No, it's okay. I'm fine."

"You don't have to--"

"No, really." She took a deep breath. "If I was gonna bleed out, I would have already. If he wanted to do damage I wouldn't be able to talk or breathe." She carefully touched the edge of the cut, pulling her finger away as it stung. "Cut's not even in the right spot."

Taatu caught his breath, finally seeming to calm down a little. "You mean he just wants to hurt us, not kill us?"

She shook her head, his words making her realize the truth. "No. He wants to scare us."

"Well it's working!" He choked out, near tears again, both from relief and fresh fear.

"Your leg. Is it bleeding much?"

"No. It fucking hurts, though."

She reached over and touched the inside of his thigh. "He coulda killed you with one good jab right here. You'd be dead in less than a minute. Either he doesn't know what he's doing at all, or he _really_ knows what he's doing."

And based on the near-surgical precision of his blade on her neck, she had a feeling she knew which one it was.

Taatu was crying softly, trying to wipe away the tears as soon as they came but his hands were mostly covered in dried blood.

"It's okay." She mumbled, staring at the wall, unmoving for fear of opening the scabs that started forming.

He leaned his shoulder against hers and tightly gripped her free hand. "I don't wanna die."

"You won't. We'll be outta here soon."

~//~


	43. Master Kazen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Roh's new team enlists help from someone they never throught they'd need, and Dagon pays a visit to his old teacher.

Iden ran down the wide hallway of the Mayor's Palace, not even trying to be stealthy for once. She slid to a stop on the marble floor outside Suley's door, and paused to wipe her tears away with her sleeve. Once her eyes were clear, she turned the knob and kicked the door open.

"Why don't you know how to knock!" Suley stood quickly.

A Fire Military Admiral sat in the chair opposite him, and seemed shocked. "Is that how you speak to your personnel?"

"She's not--"

Iden marched in. "I need to speak with you alone." She demanded.

"I'm having a conversation, you'll have to wait." He said through clenched teeth.

"It's not going to wait!"

"Guard!" Suley called.

"Ara told me he heard you sent an assassin after the Avatar's friend!"

"So what?"

A guard came in and tried to grab Iden's arms, but she braced a foot off Suley's desk and did a backflip onto the guard's back, pinching a nerve in his shoulder and causing him to drop to the floor. She stood up on the guard's back. "Call them off! You don't need to kill her! Take her as prisoner instead, you need leverage over the Avatar, don't you? Why didn't you think this through, Suley, you're so fucking stupid!"

The Admiral stood up. "Young lady--!"

"Is this what you're crying over?" Suley gestured to her tears mockingly. "I've ordered you to kill them before, and you failed. Why do you care now?"

The guard reached around his back to grab her ankle, but she lifted her foot and stomped on his hand instead. He cried out. "Answer me!" Iden shouted. "Call off the assassin, or tell me who he is and I'll stop him myself!"

"I don't know who it was! My advisor picked someone from a list and sent out a messenger hawk." He picked up a sheet of paper on the side of his desk and scanned a list. "Yesterday morning. We sent a hawk to someone named Taru, calls himself Metalman." He shrugged. "It's probably already done. Don't worry, we can always find the Avatar's family for leverage. Don't worry about it."

The Admiral looked appalled. 

Iden took a step forward, stepping on the guard's head.

"Ow." The guard mumbled

She looked Suley dead in the eyes. "Fuck. You." She bit her lip and was out the door in a split second.

~

Iden knew it was probably too late. She kicked hard at the small rocks along the dirt path, launching each of them as far as she could. "Fuck him. _Fuck_ him." She bit back more tears at the sheer frustration of everything. How calmly Suley could order a life to be taken. How important he thought he was. How he never gave direct orders and thought that cleared him of responsibility. How he probably wasn't above having her executed if she stepped too far out of line. She was glad he left the family when she was seven, so she never really had to live with him much.

She reached the bottom of the hill, out of sight of the mansion now. She didn't want to look at it. She was about to take another step when she caught someone running through her peripherals, and without even looking, she leapt into the air as they were about to tackle her.

But they'd clearly accounted for her maneuver. She landed in the arms of two more people who covered her mouth, blindfolded her, and held her arms tight. A fourth person came up behind her and tapped up and down her back quickly.

The people holding her relaxed their grip, and she stayed on her feet but didn't go anywhere. She rolled her eyes. "You know, I'm not even a bender so chi blocking doesn't really work on me, but you can try!" As she tried to fight again, though her arms and legs were sluggish and numb. Someone else lifted her feet, and they carried her into the woods.

A decent way into the woods, they stopped and sat her down, quickly binding her to a tree before she could get sensation back. She didn't really have the energy to fight anyway.

Someone yanked the blindfold off. "Remember me?" Haider grinned.

Iden snorted. "I thought they had you executed too." She scanned the other two people in front of her. A dark-haired boy she didn't recognize, and the Avatar.

"What do you mean _, too?"_ The boy asked. "Where's Kota?"

"I was referring to the Avatar." She nodded toward Roh. "Suley said he was going to kill you himself, but when he came back he didn't want to answer any questions, so I assumed that dipshit managed to let you get away too, like he lost One-Arm over here."

Haider shot her a smug grin. "One-Arm got himself out."

"One-Arm had help." Roh rolled her eyes. But she didn't sound like Roh…

The other boy clearly had no sense of humor. He grabbed Iden's chin. "Where's Kota!"

"Suley sent an assassin after her."

"Who!? Where!?"

Iden forced a laugh. "Down, boy. What is she, your girlfriend?"

"No, she's mine." Someone who'd been standing behind Iden stepped into view. A thick bandage was wrapped around her left hand.

Iden looked back and forth between Roh and Maita. They were completely identical, except the girl with the bandage looked a lot more weathered, and angrier. "Well shit. The Avatar has a twin, and now you're gonna make me guess which one of you it is, right?"

Roh kicked Iden's legs. "It's me, idiot. Where is she?"

"Wait. You're _dating_ Kota? Isn't that illegal in the Fire Nation? Or is it just the Earth Kingdom?" She still managed to sound condescending. Iden definitely wanted to explore this topic more, though it was dampened by the nagging thought that Kota was probably dead.

Dagon grabbed Iden's wrist and squeezed. "The next thing out of your mouth better be an answer." His hand started to heat up.

She jerked her arm away. "Ow! OW! OKAY!"

He let go, steam rising from his palm.

"Look, I don't want her dead either. Suley said he sent an assassin yesterday morning, and that it's probably too late. I'm really sorry, honest."

" _Who?_ " Dagon's voice cracked.

"He said some guy named Taru or something. Metalman." 

"That better be EVERYTHING you know!" Dagon grabbed Iden's chin with his still-hot hand.

"I swear! It is!" As hard as she fought them, more tears welled up in her eyes. "Please. I didn't want anyone to die. Let me help you find Metalman."

"Oh you're damn right you're gonna help!" Roh stepped forward, clenching her fist and spitting her words at the younger girl. "And if she's dead--" the words alone took the air from her lungs for a moment. "I'll turn and kill you on the spot. Understand?"

"Roh…" Maita warned. 

"We're wasting time. I know someone who might know how to find him." Dagon said. He held out his hand and Haider quickly produced an earthbender-sharpened rock for him. Dagon cut the ropes and grabbed Iden's wrists, heating his hands up to tolerable but threatening temperature.

They led her to a clearing nearby, where a full-grown sky bison lay waiting.

She leapt back in fear when it turned and growled at her. Dagon let go of her wrists and shoved her forward.

Roh grabbed the reins while everyone else climbed into the saddle.

Iden was still a bit in shock. "Where the HELL did y'all get a bison?"

~

Dagon stepped onto the porch of the small, secluded house. Random patches of dirt were scattered around the yard with no rhyme or reason, like garden plots that hadn't taken root yet, and it looked like a metal scrapyard had been used to decorate the place. He skipped the formality of ringing the bell and instead opted to pound on the door.

"KAZEN!" He shouted.

The door was yanked open. "The hell do you-- Dagon?" A gruff old man with a white beard opened the door in his bathrobe.

"Master Kazen." Dagon greeted with a quick bow. "Have you heard of someone named Metalman?"

"Dagon, you can't be here! I don't associate with the Black Iris anymore, nor its members. You need to get out!"

"Answer me first, please! Do you know where Metalman is?"

Kazen looked around. "Kid, quiet the hell down. You can't just go yelling names like that around here. It's not as isolated as my old Ren Haru house. There's neighbors just on the other side of those trees."

"Do you know or not?"

Kazen seemed to just now spot the giant bison in his yard with four people sitting on it. "What in the hell--" his confusion turned to anger, "Dagon, whatever craziness you're caught up in now, DON'T bring it to me! Get out of here! The rebels are _dead_ , you have no reason to ever come back here!"

"This has nothing to do with the Black Iris! Metalman has my sister!"

Kazen froze for a moment, then his expression turned soft, defeated. "…Are you sure?"

"Mostly sure."

"Calm down a minute, son. Tell me exactly what happened."

Dagon took a deep breath. "She was at the Air Embassy in the Earth Kingdom city of Havenoe. This morning, two monks from the Embassy came here to tell us she disappeared two nights ago, along with another airbender. They left us one of their bison to help look for them. Today we found out Suley sent an assassin after her, someone named Taru, or Metalman. Please, do you know _anything_ about him?"

Kazen sighed. "Good news is she's probably still alive. Metalman is notorious for um, keeping his victims alive for a while. Bad news is, he works in a different location every time. Nearly impossible to track down. Usually on an island on the Western coast of the Earth Kingdom, but there's thousands of islands and I can't even promise that's where she is. People _have_ escaped him, though, and sometimes he just sets them free when he's done with them. But nobody's ever found one of his locations."

"Western coast of the Earth Kingdom…" Dagon repeated. "Thank you." He turned to leave.

"Wait, kid! Why did Suley send an assassin for your _sister?_ "

"She's working with the Avatar."

Kazen looked shocked. "They found the new Avatar?"

Dagon pointed. "Yeah she's right there."

"I'll be damned."

Dagon stopped. "Look, I know you know Suley is bad, but he's worse than you think. I'm not just saying this because of my sister. I watched him try to kill the Avatar the other day. Tried to murder the peacekeeper of the world. He's getting more powerful, and you're not safe here." He lowered his voice, "The rebels _aren't_ dead. There's still plenty of us out here. And you know they can do something about this. Protect your kin and land. They're waiting."

Dagon hopped off the porch and sprinted back to the bison, leaping high enough to grab the saddle and pull himself up without climbing the animal's fur. The girl in front snapped the reins, and the giant beast lifted off into the air.

~//~


	44. Spirit World

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Accessing the Spirit World might be the only way to locate Kota and Taatu... if anyone can figure it out in time.

Kota dreamt about flying every single time she fell asleep.

The days were almost unbearably hot, and only the occasional breeze drifted in, so she and Taatu used that time to sleep, when they could. At night they tried to plan an escape, although it was seeming less likely each day, as they ran out of ideas and strength.

Once a day, the man would jump down through the window, landing with a clunk in his metal boots, blindfold them, unlock their chains, and lead them out the window briefly before entering another window one room over, to let them use the bathroom. Kota used that time to also test the strength of her ankle. She could walk, but was unsteady. Once they were locked back up in the first room, he would leave a small amount of food, a small bucket of water, and he'd scratch a tally mark into the wall with his knife.

There were six tallies on the wall.

"Please, take it. I don't need it."

"Yes, you really do." Kota looked at Taatu's shaking hands in the moonlight. She put the small piece of bread in his hand. "I'm not going to eat your half. You need it too."

"I'm used to fasting."

"This is not fasting, this is starving."

One of them would have to eat it. When they'd tried to ration food a few days ago, the man found it and threw it out the window. She could still see it rotting out there. They wouldn't make that mistake twice.

Taatu lifted the piece of bread. He broke it in half again, and ate one of the halves. He handed the other to Kota.

"No."

"Yes. Take it."

She pushed his hand back in front of him. He didn't argue any further, which broke her heart even more. At first, he'd been very insistent on sharing his portion of the food and water. But after the man had come and cut his throat exactly as he had Kota's, Taatu was growing more and more distant, and frequently dissociating to the point where he wouldn't even answer her. When he wasn't, though, they kept conversations going like old friends, which was probably what kept them from going insane.

She watched to make sure he ate it, and then sat back. She tried to keep him from slipping away again. "Hey. I heard somewhere that airbenders aren't raised by parents. Is that true?"

"Community. All kids are raised by the whole community. A few close adults, more than others."

"But you never know who your parents are?"

"Nope. It's not important."

"So… when you fall in love with someone… how do you know it's not your sister or brother?" She fought back a small laugh.

He gave a weak laugh, too. "Each couple only has one child."

"So there are couples, though?"

"Of course."

"Alright, so… what happens if you fall in love with someone who's not an airbender?"

He shrugged. "It rarely happens. The only time we really encounter non-airbenders is at the Embassies or out on peace missions. If they do, they have to live somewhere else. The temples really aren't built for non-airbenders. The couple will usually go off and live somewhere on their own."

"Huh. And what if their kid turns out to be an airbender?"

"I really, Kota, I don't know these things." He smiled, like he was tired of answering her most wild what-if questions.

"Sorry." She smiled back.

He thought for a moment. "That reminds me of something I've uh, been meaning to ask…"

"Yeah?"

"Um. Roh's pretty cool and all. She's fun to be around. And, I didn't know she was the Avatar, but… do you think, if we get outta this, she'd… go for a guy like me?" He stuttered awkwardly, scratching the back of his neck.

Kota smiled slightly and glanced away, lost in thought for a brief moment.

"What?" He blushed instantly.

"Nothing. Uh, she's already got someone."

"Oh." Taatu laughed. "I figured." He rubbed the wound on his leg. "Is it that guy who was with you? The earthbender? Haider?"

"Ha!" She couldn't contain the sharp laugh that escaped.

"Sorry, I'm just guessing!"

Kota stared out the window for a few moments, then glanced down at her hands in her lap. Finally, she looked back up at Taatu. "It's me, actually." She said with a small smile.

"You-- oh, its-- you two are…"

She nodded.

Taatu rested back against the wall. "Well, I like that a lot better than the thought of her dating that Haider kid."

Kota laughed. "He's a jerk, but he's a good kid. But he's also a jerk."

"I shoulda known." He smiled.

"Known what?"

"The way you talk about her. I can tell that you love her."

Just hearing that made Kota's heart ache. The thought that they might never see each other again. And it hurt because she knew Roh was probably tearing herself apart looking for her right now. She swallowed hard, forcing back tears.

"Sorry." Taatu said.

"It's okay. Did she ever talk about me? At the Embassy?"

"Probably. She doesn't use any names. You're not the one who's been to the spirit world, are you?"

"No."

"I didn't think so. She talks about that friend a lot, but not really anyone else."

Kota didn't even really hear him, she was already drifting away in thought about Roh.

"Kota?"

"Sorry." She forced herself back into the moment, but her eyes drifted out the window again. "Tell me what the spirit world is like."

"I… I've never been."

"Really?" She closed her eyes, settling in.

"Not many people can, besides the Avatar. If I could, I would have by now. I could probably find other airbenders there and get them to help us."

"There's other airbenders there? Like, you can see each other?"

"Of course. At any given time, there's probably at least one meditating under the Tree of Time."

Her eyes flew open. "What did you say?"

"The Tree of Time. It's a big tree trunk, and they sit at its base to meditate. It's connected to a lot of cosmic energy or something. Again, I haven't seen it. Just heard it described."

"Let me guess, it's just a bare tree trunk, right? Like, there aren't leaves, right?"

"Yeah, but it's not empty. There's--"

"Something trapped inside." Kota finished.

He nodded. "Vaatu. The spirit--"

"Of darkness! Avatar One locked him in the tree trunk!" Kota recalled from Kenja's stories about Avatar lore when she was a kid.

"Um, it's Avatar Wan. Not One."

"Whatever, Taatu, I think I am the friend who's been to the spirit world."

He sat up straight. "You think?"

"I can't believe she didn't tell me. I told her all about some weird but consistent dreams I used to have while I was trying to meditate. I thought I'd fallen asleep while meditating but I think I was in the spirit world! And she must've thought that too, if she mentioned me!"

Taatu stared at her. "So you're the one who's dad…"

Kota frowned. "What did she tell you? Nevermind, it doesn't matter."

"Yes it does matter. You got to the spirit world while you were in pain, and stress, right? Most people need near perfect conditions. Is this not your perfect condition?" He gestured to the broken ankle, the room around them, the chains.

Kota exhaled slowly. "You think I could do it right now?"

He mimed a meditation pose for her to copy. "Do it like you wanna see your girlfriend again."

A confused frown flickered over her face.

"Sorry, just trying to add to the stress so you can get there."

"Thanks."

~

Through all her eagerness to get to the spirit world, Kota had forgotten exactly what it entailed. Why she'd been able to get there in the first place.

There's a very distinct comfort in being able to detach your spirit from your body. If you're meditating for spiritual connection like airbenders often do, it can feel freeing. If you're meditating to better yourself, or discover a new world, it can feel like the start of an exciting journey.

But if you're entering the spirit world to escape a bad situation, a bad life… it can feel like an answer. And it's never meant to be

It took a lot of tries, and a lot of Taatu whispering "are you there yet", but eventually Kota found the answer in picturing her childhood bedroom around her. What it was like to be a little kid again. No homework, no responsibilities, listening to Kenja's stories, finding Dagon at recess and annoying him… and the darker stuff. It was all connected. You can't have one without the other, and therefore, giving in and intentionally thinking about the darker stuff ended up being the answer.

She opened her eyes, expecting the see the blue tones and bloodstains of the room in front of her, but instead she saw lush green grass, twisty purple trees, and flowers that changed color right in front of her eyes.

She took in a deep breath and stood up, remembering her first mission: find other airbenders and get help.

But as she stood up and moved around freely, without pain or chains, it was tempting to just… stay there. For a few moments, she had the overwhelming desire to let her physical body die and let her soul live on in here forever.

This wasn't the same location she used to start from when she was a kid, but everything felt familiar. The sky was hot magenta, and the ground itself seemed to sway. She walked carefully to the trees, looking for something to hold onto, to keep her balance.

As she reached for a tree trunk, it bent completely sideways and, having expected it to hold her weight, she toppled over with it.

Something crawled out of the tree. It resembled a monkey made out of green leaves.

"What are yoooou doing!?" The monkey screeched, his leaves lifting when he spoke, revealing a zebra pattern on his skin underneath.

"Um, I'm trying to find the Tree of Time, do you know how I can get there?" Kota struggled to her knees, and came face-to-face with the spirit.

"There's no Trees of Time here!"

"Wh-- is this the Spirit World?"

"Duuuh!"

"Okay, sorry. Um. I just know that I need to find another human. My friend and I are in trouble, in the physical world--"

"Got yourself into some trouble, did you?"

"Well, no, it's not really our fault, we were kidnapped--"

"Kidnapped by the haaands of a spirit?"

"No, by a man."

"Ha! Exactly. Huuuumans got you into trouble, didn't they?"

"Yes."

"So why are you bugging with the Spirit World?" His eyes briefly took over his whole head, then blinked, and shrunk back down to size.

"This is the only way we can try and communicate with someone else. I need to tell someone where I am."

"And where are you?"

"Um," She hadn't though this far ahead. "In a room, there's a lot of sand outside…"

"You have no semblance of a clue! You don't need the Spirit World, you need a good knock on the head!"

Kota frowned. "You know, last time I came here the spirits were a lot nicer."

"Well maybe you should find thooooose spirits!"

"I'm trying!"

He looked her up and down. "Are you the Avatar?"

"No."

He sniffed up her arm. "You don't smell like the Avatar."

"Because I'm not!"

"Then how'd you land yourself here?"

"Meditation."

"Oh, you're one of those enliiiightened folks, are you?"

"Um, I don't think so."

"So you're not enlightened, and you're not the Avatar, but you mmmmeditated here… Hmm… Then you must not be in the Spirit World."

"What? I'm here, aren't I?"

"Maybe you're dreeeeeaming?" He poked her nose with a sharp claw.

She swatted him away. "I'm not dreaming, there's no sound in dreams, we wouldn't be having this conversation."

"No sound, huh. Humans are weeeeird."

Kota stood up and started to walk off. "Forget it, I'll find someone else." Just ahead, there was a rocky cave with three different entrances, just big enough to crawl through.

"No wait! There is no one else!" The leaf-monkey spirit jumped in front of her, and covered the tunnel on the far right.

Kota crossed her arms. "So there's humans through that tunnel?"

"What? No. Whyyy would you suspect this one?"

Kota quickly reached over and pried his fingers away from the rock, shoving his leafy body aside.

"Don't do it! There's lava in there! Big bad wolves that will eat you!"

Kota crawled right inside.

"I'm warning you!" He grabbed onto her ankle.

Just as she pulled herself fully into the cave, the walls turned elastic and closed around her whole body, squeezing tighter. Just as she realized she couldn't breathe, the bottom dropped out and she fell through absolute nothingness.

The spirit still clung to her ankle. "You idiot! Looook what you've done!"

They seemed to be falling towards a light, but it was small, and didn't look to be getting any closer until the very last second when it flooded their whole view. They both dropped into the light and Kota found herself midair, flailing as they reversed direction and fell again back toward where they came, but this time they hit grass.

The wind was knocked out of her as she rolled away from the hot spring geyser they'd been shot out of. She came to rest on her back and stared up at the swirling colors of the sky, catching her breath.

"Pahuac, who's that?" A child's voice said, slightly panicked.

"Nothing to seeee here!" The leaf-monkey spirit tried to cover Kota with his body but he was far too small.

She shoved him away. "Get your butt outta my face!"

"Is that a human?"

"No! Of course not!"

A tall green spirit with a perfectly circular white face padded across the grass and kicked the leaf-monkey spirit a surprising distance.

"It IS a human! And it smells terrible!" The spirit's kind tone seemed out of place. It lifted Kota by the arm. "Look, Pahuac."

Kota turned to see an elderly man in airbender robes walk over, looking at her with wide eyes. She didn't waste any time. "Please help me, I was kidnapped in the physical world with another airbender named Taatu, and we're being held captive somewhere with a lot of sand and--"

She stopped when she noticed both the man and the spirit were looking just below her mouth now, terrified.

The leaf-monkey spirit made his way back over. "What is that!"

Kota looked down but didn't see anything. "What? What!?"

The airbender brought his hand to his neck, as if protecting it.

"It's just a scab, but that's why I need help, please, he's--" She brought her hand up to touch the week-old cut on her neck, but instead her fingertips landed on a new one, just an inch below the old one. And it was spreading. "What's happening?"

The world around her started to fade, and with a quick flash of light it was gone, replaced by the looming, concentrated face of her captor.

~

The pain rushed back in, all at once. The sound of Taatu crying. The ragged breath of the man in front of her. He was very focused on her neck.

Her instinct was to pull away, to cover her head and cower, and cover her injuries. But she forced herself to override those instincts, knowing that any movement could absolutely kill her right now.

She didn't even realize he was done when he pulled the knife away. The blade was so sharp that it felt like nothing at first. But pain signals finally reached her brain and she brought her hand up to cover it, soaking her hand instantly.

Without moving her head, she turned her eyes to the side to see Taatu. His shirt was not orange anymore. He sucked in deep breaths while holding his bunched-up shirt to his neck.

The man carved another tally into the wall. Tally number 7. He got up and left out the window, leaving no food or water.

~//~


	45. Past Lives

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An unethical outburst earns Roh a visit from a few of her past Avatars.

Roh leapt off the bison while it was still mid-air. She ignored Maita's concerned shout and let gravity take her to the grassy ground, easily two hundred feet below and barely visible in the moonlight. At the last second, she threw down a burst of air beneath her to slow her fall, but from the height she still landed pretty hard, her knee and shoulder taking the worst of it.

Ignoring the pain, she gripped clumps of grass and looked around, already knowing what she'd find. There was nothing on this island. A big open stretch of grass, surrounded by a dangerously rocky shore.

Empty. Just like the last fifty islands they searched.

She ripped up the clumps of grass and tried to stand up, but her knee gave out and she dropped back, pressing her forehead to the ground.

Over the sound of the whipping wind, she heard the bison land behind her and someone approach.

"This is impossible." She muttered. She sucked in a deep breath through her mouth as she felt her sinuses plug up from being upside-down, and from the tears that were inevitable. "This IS IMPOSSIBLE!"

Maita sat down next to her and rubbed her back.

They'd tried everything. They'd stopped in Havenoe to see if Ennis could track Kota, but his scent tracking stopped at the shore of Havenoe, since he couldn’t track over water. It was at least a small lead. So they left Ennis in Havenoe and have been flying up and down the shore, scanning the coastlines and islands, looking for an isolated building with a boat nearby. Now they were trying islands off the Fire Nation shore. Roh had barely slept the whole week. She only let them rest when the bison was too tired to fly, and even then she usually took off on her glider to search some more.

Haider climbed off the bison and smashed his palm to the ground, getting a seismic reading of the island. "Nothing underground." He reported.

Roh gathered her composure and stood up, still not sure if she was mentally about to fly off the handle or not.

"Hey. Sit down for a minute, okay? And don't jump off the bison again without your glider or something. We're no use to Kota if you're unstable like this." Maita said gently, albeit annoyed.

Roh absently pushed her away. "What are you, my mother?"

"It's amazing," Iden started, walking over. "I had no idea identical twins could be so different. So you're the sane one, huh?" She gestured to Maita, then Roh, "And you're… everything else."

"Fuck off!" Roh lunged forward and shoved Iden hard, knocking her over. "You're one to talk." She spat.

Iden landed on her back but quickly rolled out of it, snapping to her feet again, fists raised. "The hell does that mean?"

"You've been NO HELP the past few days! You're just like your brother Suley, you only care about yourself."

"Alright, guys," Maita put her hands up.

"Only care about myself? Ha! You're one to talk, Avatar. You're out here wasting time and resources looking for one person while your hometown is literally falling apart."

"That's not my problem!"

Iden smirked. "I rest my case."

This was not a confrontation anymore. Roh shoved Iden again, but instead of letting go, she went with her to the ground. Roh put her foot on Iden's chest, just like she had with the man in the abandoned house. She raised her hand to draw the air out, but waited. She leaned in, ignoring everything around her. "You know I could kill you right now." She said in a low voice. Hundreds of different ideas flashed through her head. Her heart rate picked up just thinking about it.

Iden still had that stupid smile on her face. "No you couldn't."

Roh let out a growl and curled her fingers so hard her hand shook.

Iden's eyes went wide, and she let out a coughing wheeze that turned into a whimper.

Whiteness flashed behind Roh's eyes as she drew the air from her throat.

"Roh, STOP!" Maita tried to command, but it came out a more of a plea.

Roh did stop. Instead of feeling the release of air coming out, she saw curling drops of red. She released her hand, and Iden's head dropped back against the grass, limp, along with the trail of red that had come out of her mouth. She coughed a few more times, and a few droplets of red mist sprayed Roh's face.

Maita shoved Roh to the side. "What the hell did you just do!?"

Roh stood up to let Maita fuss over Iden. She caught Dagon and Haider's shocked faces, but she didn't care. She looked down at her hand, curled and uncurled her fingers.

"That was bloodbending." Dagon said to himself.

Roh gave a small laugh. "I can't even waterbend yet! That was amazing!"

Iden was sitting up now, mostly fine but shaken.

Maita stood up and marched over to Roh. "That was WHAT?"

"Oh, stop it Maita. We're not kids anymore, you don't have to teach me how to act."

Maita lowered her voice. "You need to know that was wrong."

"Don't talk to me like I'm twelve."

Maita threw her hands up. "Fine! Do whatever you want, see how far that gets you! But don't hurt someone that we're responsible for, don't hurt children, and for fuck's sake, don't do it in front of me."

Roh stepped a few paces back, and gave a small nod. She turned and sprinted toward the bison. In one motion, she launched herself over the bison and snatched her staff from the saddle, landing in a somersault on the other side. She rolled to her feet and kept running, right for the edge of the cliff. She pushed off the edge, and let herself free-fall toward the rocks for just a moment longer than was safe. She whipped open the glider and surged upward across the open ocean.

~

Roh's mind was pretty clear as she flew across the open water. The breeze was nice, the stars were beautiful. Finding Kota was still her number one priority, but she did feel like she could think a lot clearer after what she did to Iden. Like it reset something in her. Relaxed her.

She swooped low, letting the ocean spray her face, and she closed her eyes. She realized now: everyone else had been slowing her down. On her own, she probably could have found Kota by now. If Kota's dead right now it's their fault.

Fueled by anger, she pushed air harder into the glider sails and sped up.

But only for a few seconds. She opened her eyes just in time to see how close she was to a small formation of rocks jutting out of the water, and she barely scraped between two of them, glancing off the slick side of one rock and hitting the water hard. 

Roh tumbled over a few times in the water, losing her grip on the staff.

She came to a rest and burst her head above the surface, spitting water. The staff was gone, lost in the dark water. She tried to lift out of the water, but her bending did nothing.

She kicked her way back to the rocks and dragged herself up onto one of the flatter rocks and collapsed across it, catching her breath. Larger, pointed rocks to her right protected these smaller rocks from the breaking waves.

Finally, she looked around. Nothing but water and sky in all directions. And she had no way of getting off this rock, staff nowhere in sight.

But taking a moment to feel frustration wasn't on the agenda. She sat up quickly, and tried to come up with a plan.

Still, there wasn't much she could do alone in the middle of the ocean, on a rock barely big enough for her to sit on.

Every second that passed brought her further from Kota. The only person who chose to be around Roh, rather than family, who are obligated. The only person who doesn't care about Roh's flaws. On paper, Maita may understand her better than anyone, but Roh doesn't want to be understood like a math problem, she wants connection, the way a lightning bolt searches for grounding.

And the next time she sees Suley… well, it would be nice to have a few hours alone with him chained up in a jail cell, trying to make him feel the same pain she'd feel over losing Kota.

That train of thought felt good. Rich. All the ways she could torture Suley… She closed her eyes and followed that thought for a few minutes, creating at least thirty scenarios.

She opened her eyes. Is this meditating? Sitting peacefully, thinking one thought. Maybe Kota was doing the same thing somewhere. Maybe she figured out she could get to the spirit world. Maybe Roh could find her there!

Roh straightened her back and closed her eyes, thinking hard about the spirit world. Thoughts swirled around her head, never sticking, like words she couldn't read. Her only focus was crossing the barrier into the spirit world. It takes intense meditation for some people, but this is supposed to be the Avatar's job. She should be able to cross pretty easily…

She felt a shift in the air. The wind around her stilled. The sea water stopped spraying, and reduced to a small lapping against the rocks.

This must be it. She opened her eyes and nearly jumped in surprise to find, not only was she still on the rock with the ocean around her, but now there was a translucent man sitting in front of her, floating over the stilled water. He looked to be in his mid-20s and wore an Earth Kingdom tunic, with a clean-shaven face.

"Who the fuck--"

"Roh-Shan." The man said. "You need to remember that your past lives are here to guide you."

"Avatar Tyric?"

His outline faded, then turned to a wisp of smoke. Moments later, another figure appeared. A middle-aged woman in traditional Water Tribe robes.

Roh struggled to remember who came before Tyric. Many people alive today were still of her era, since Tyric was killed in his 20s. "Avatar Rya?"

She nodded. "I can tell that you need guidance."

"Yeah, can you guide me to where Kota is?"

Rya appeared to sigh, even though spirits can't breathe. "Your personality presents a unique struggle, Roh-Shan. Your interests and instinct seem to be at war with what the world needs."

"Oh. You saw the… killing thing? Things?"

"Yes, Roh-Shan, we saw them. We're literally you."

"So, you saw that they were justified, right?"

"That's not the issue I'm referring to."

"Oh."

"You care about other people, but only when it's convenient for you. Your intense love for those close to you should not interfere with doing what is right. Roh-Shan, if you had to choose between saving one thousand innocent people, or your mother, which would you choose?"

"My mother." She said without hesitation.

"And what about those innocent lives? They all just died in front of you, how would you feel?"

"… How am I supposed to feel?"

Rya sighed again. "Maita's not here to answer that for you, is she?"

"Bad, I know. They got hurt so I feel bad. But that's still not my problem. And I don't know what this has to do with my situation right now."

Rya faded back into Tyric.

"Roh-Shan, your city is burning. Your citizens are dying, they're losing their homes, and your nation is losing its identity. Even if you don't genuinely care about these people, it's your responsibility to help them. That's part of pretending. You cannot do everything yourself. Plenty of other people can find Kota. Only the Avatar has the power to take on the Fire Nation collapse right now. Doing otherwise is selfish and stupid." He seemed about ready to reach out and slap her.

Roh almost slipped off her rock. "I thought you were supposed to guide me, not yell at me! Bring Rya back, she's nicer."

Tyric faded away with a ripple and Rya reappeared. "We are trying to guide you. But ultimately your actions are your decision, and the world will either be peaceful or in chaos, depending on whom you prioritize: the world, or yourself."

Roh felt like that was just a nicer way to say selfish.

"Let me leave you with this piece of advice: rather than correcting your personality to try and blend in, as you've been doing for years, see how you can use it to your advantage. Many Avatars have had to make tough decisions that involve killing people who threaten innocent lives, and they carry that guilt for years. Your unique… lack of guilt, can help you make tough decisions. Just ensure those decisions aren't the wrong ones."

Rya faded away with a wisp of smoke, and the stilled winds picked back up, the waves reaching the rocks again.

Something tapped the rock she was sitting on. Floating there in the water, pushed in by a wave, was her staff. She reached for it carefully, dipping her feet in the water, and thinking about what Rya said. Roh wasn't honestly sure what she'd do if there were a thousand innocent lives in danger. Would she really not care if they all died? She knew that would be sad, but was her instinct telling her she'd feel sad, or was it years of learning 'correct' emotions from Maita?

As long as they're not people she knows, why should she care? And didn't Rya just say to use her "personality" to her advantage?

This all was making Roh's head hurt. She carefully opened the wings of the glider and shook the dripping water out. The rest could dry while she flew. She stood up and launched off the rock, not actually knowing which direction she was going.

~//~


	46. Fire Nation Coast

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Several very large wrenches are thrown into Roh's plans, and she's forced to choose.

It wasn't long before Roh spotted coastline, and swooped closer, trying to make out terrain or landmarks. Fire Nation, for sure, based on the tropical foliage. The wild forests dropped off just ahead, becoming massive fields for farming, which surrounded clusters of buildings that made up the crown city. The Fire Nation Capital.

Up ahead, she spotted two giant passenger ships just off the coast of the Fire Nation Capital. They were headed East, toward the Earth Kingdom. As she got closer, she realized how massive the ships really were. She'd never seen this many people on a boat, ever.

She dipped lower, and spotted some people pointing at her.

She circled lower, and landed nimbly on the top-deck railing of the first boat. She already had everyone's attention just by flying. "Where are you guys going?"

Everyone tried to talk at once.

She pointed to one man in front with her staff, nearly touching his nose. "You speak."

"Earth Kingdom." He said, "We're Fire Nation citizens. But it's not safe there anymore."

"Why?"

"The New Yelsu residents forced their way into the Fire Nation Capital, and they outnumber the Fire Military. My family is leaving because some psycho Resident lit our whole neighborhood on fire last night and nobody's doing anything about it! There's too many of them!"

Roh looked around. The boat was packed with Fire Nation citizens. Families, children. She recognized a Fire Military uniform on one woman, but the outer layers of it had been stripped away in shame.

"They killed my brother!" Someone shouted.

"They robbed my home! We lost everything!"

"They blew up our public water supply!"

More people started shouting, and Roh frowned in thought. "There can't be that many people who just terrorize for fun…"

One man in the front heard her, and spoke up. "They're not all just killing because they want to, they're grunts being paid by resource-hungry monsters who just want the land, and they're killing because they don't care what they have to do to get it."

Roh tried to process this when she saw someone pushing through the crowd towards her. "Roh-Shan! Roh-Shan, baby!"

Roh stepped off the railing onto the deck to let her mother pull her into a warm hug.

"Are you okay, sweetie? You look terrible. Where's your sister?"

"She's fine. Where's Grandma?"

"On the lower deck. She's not doing very well--"

Someone in the circle around her said, "Wait, you're Fire Nation? I thought you were an airbender?"

Apparently, word had gotten around pretty quickly about the airbender who landed on the ship. Someone else was pushing through the crowd toward her, but this person didn't have to push much. Everyone stepped aside and cleared a wide path.

Roh turned and looked down the path. The absolute last person she expected to see evacuating the Fire Nation. "Amiron?"

The Fire Lord stepped toward her. "So you _are_ the Avatar. I'm sorry I didn't believe you."

"Avatar?" A few voices questioned.

"Why are _you_ on this ship?" Roh asked.

He bowed his head slightly, almost looking ashamed. "We've lost the capital. The Fire Nation has fallen."

Roh looked around the circle at all the faces. The floor rocked and she lost her balance for a moment. "What?"

"The wealthy New Yelsu elite and the Residents have attacked the capital. They seized control of the entire armada last night and everyone was forced out. They have control of all the wealth and weapons, there's nothing we can do."

"No. How did this h-- what are you talking about? Turn back, we can take them!"

"Why can't the _Avatar_ do something about it?" Someone else said.

Roh caught herself before she could tell him to go fuck himself. What would Rya do? She stepped back to the railing, and stood on the rungs. _Do something about it_. "I can. But I need your help. There's more of us than them. You think the Earth Kingdom is gonna take you in? Yeah, right. What have you got to lose?"

A few mumbles spread through the crowd.

"So, will you fight!?" She raised her fist.

"No!"

"…What? We can't just retreat. We'll take those of you willing to fight ashore. We outnumber them! Tell your captain to turn this boat around."

"You're supposed to fix this yourself, Avatar!"

There was a chorus of shouts in agreement.

"You want me to stop the Residents? I'm just one person!"

"So you want _us_ to stop the Residents for you?"

"No, I want you guys to come together, and-- Amiron, tell them we can fix this!"

Fire Lord Amiron stepped forward and held his hands up. Everyone quieted down in an instant. "Don't listen to the Avatar. She's a treasonous liar, and she's the reason Mayor Suley was put into power in the first place. I will not have my citizens die under her command."

"What!? You're the dipshit who appointed him!" But she was drowned out by jeers and hecklers.

Someone threw a chunk of bread at her, which was followed by a faint "wait, I need that back!".

"I'll fight the Residents!" A small voice in the back called.

Everyone quieted and turned to the source of the voice.

"I want my home back. I've got nothing else to lose. I'll help you, Avatar." A young man in the back said.

"Great! Thank you sir! Anyone else?"

"I will!" Someone else shouted.

"Excellent! Come to the back with me, we'll work on a plan. Anyone else?" She looked out over the large crowd.

Nothing.

"Great. Cool." She launched off the railing and swooped toward the back, the two people following on the deck after her. A couple more people followed them as well. 

Roh landed back on the boat in a quieter area. "First we need to spread the word, find everybody who's willing to take on the Residents."

A feeble old man stepped up to her. "If you really are the Avatar, then my family and I are more loyal to you than any Fire Lord or Resident. Avatar Rya saved my family once, and I believe you can do it again."

Roh was a little confused. "Thank you, sir. Any support is welcome, even if you can't fight. I appreciate it."

"Listen, child. Taking out anarchists with an armada of this size is suicide. But many of those Residents are just pawns; they've been promised wealth and riches if they could take over the capital. And they've done that. And do you know what they're being paid with?"

"I thought it was a barter-based economy?" Someone else said.

The old man grinned. "It _was_ , before Suley realized he himself would have no power, with nothing to trade."

"So what are you saying?"

"The Residents have taken over the palace, but the building they're most interested in is the Stamping Press just down the street. They're stamping and cutting brand new parchment paper currency as we speak."

" _Paper_ currency? That’s the dumbest idea I've ever heard!" Roh laughed.

"It's faster than trying to hammer out thousands of metal coins, and that way the elites --Suley included-- can have complete control over the market."

Another woman said, "The Residents don’t even realize this, do they?"

"Well, they don't come from wealth, do they? I've worked under Amiron long enough to know: nobody _makes_ ten thousand gold pieces as their salary, they _take_ it. Cutting throats is just part of the job. I caught a glance in the window as we were being evacuated; they've got stacks and stacks of it, as tall as your head!"

Roh started to mirror the grin on the man's face. "Sounds… flammable?"

He winked. "You got it, kid. You gotta make the Residents realize those 'riches' are imaginary, and the elite will realize… they're outnumbered."

Everyone in the small circle was enthused by now.

Roh stood up straight. "Alright. Go around the boat, see who else you can get to join us, but _don't_ tell them this plan we just discussed. We'll fill everybody in once we have our troop, but we don't need the wrong person getting the heads-up, understand? I'll go try and find a smaller boat we can bring ashore, and spread the word on the other boat."

~//~

"Take me back to the Fire Nation." Iden wiped blood from the corner of her mouth and stood up. "Take me back. Now. I'm not helping you or that psycho Avatar anymore." Her voice shook.

Maita and Dagon looked at each other. "Yeah. Sounds good." He said.

Iden was already walking away toward the bison.

Haider shook his head. "Man, she really lost it for a minute there, huh?" He turned and followed Iden.

"She never really had it." Maita whispered under her breath.

~

As their bison neared the shore of the Fire Nation, it became clear this wasn't business as usual.

"The fuck are those?" Haider stared at the massive ships. "Those can't all be people moving to New Yelsu."

Maita stared at the ships for a few moments longer. "They're moving really slow. They might even be anchored."

"I don't care what they are, let me off." Iden sounded unnaturally scared.

Dagon looked back and forth between the boats and the shore. He saw a figure flying between them. "We're not taking you all the way back to New Yelsu."

"What? That's where you fucking kidnapped me from, you have to take me back!"

He turned to her and held a finger out, heating it up. "Hey. Despite what just happened, we don't owe you anything. We brought you along to help find my sister, and we still don't have her, do we? It's _your_ brother that sent an assassin for her, and Roh said she would kill you on the spot if Kota's dead. I would not have blinked twice if she actually killed you back there. Understand?"

Iden pushed his hand away, but her usual fight was gone. "I'm not guilty by association just because he's my _brother._ "

"You're working for him, aren't you? You and Ara are his little henchmen."

"Not anymore!"

"I'm not sure if I believe that. Haider, bring us down here, we're dropping her off and then going to see what's up with the boats." Dagon instructed as the bison started to fly over the shore.

Haider took the reins and a few moments later, they were descending toward the shore.

Iden looked conflicted. "Okay, I have to tell you something."

"What?" Dagon snapped.

"Suley's bending… the black part is hot, but it's not fire, it's just smoke. He calls it fuelbending. If you get him in a place where there's no debris or dirt on the ground, he can't bend."

"I've seen him use that black fire trick on civilians before." Maita said. "Any more useful information you've saved until now?"

"He never gives direct orders. So if you can intercept someone he ordered to do something, you can maybe convince them he didn't mean what they think he meant."

"Why the hell would he not give direct orders?" Haider scoffed.

"He thinks it clears him of responsibility."

"That's dumb."

Iden nodded. "Remember when Mayor Odei's wife drowned last year? He ordered our father, who was a sailor, to rescue her. She just dragged him down with her. That's why Suley would never give a direct order. He's willing to let his men die, but he thinks if he does it this way, it won't be his fault. That's all I can think of, as far as getting an advantage over him. I hope that helps."

They were close enough to the ground now that she jumped off the bison onto the beach without another word.

Haider looked back at the other two. "Alrighty then. To the boats?"

Dagon nodded.

"Yip-yip."

~

They spotted Roh on the railing of the second boat's lower deck, shouting something to the crowd. Haider brought the bison up hovering right behind her, effectively scaring the crowd.

Roh finished her speech, spun around, and nearly lost her balance.

"What's going on here?" Maita asked.

Roh jumped onto the bison and climbed into the saddle. "These people are being forced out of their homes by New Yelsu residents and there aren't enough police and military forces to stop them. Some of these people aren't going without a fight though, and neither am I. I'm gathering up whoever's willing to fight and we're gonna go ashore."

Dagon and Maita looked unsure, and the looks on everyone's faces said they thought she was crazy too.

Roh lowered her voice. "They just lost everything. This is the perfect time to use them to help me get revenge on Suley. We all know the Earth Kingdom isn't going to take them, so they totally wanna fight him too! I'm gonna steal a boat from the shore and bring it back, and load up our troop. Act like we're helping them. Be all, "We're not going down without a fight.""

"So you're just abandoning your search for Kota?" Dagon stood up.

Roh went quiet for a minute. "No. But in case she's really gone… I wanna kill Suley before anyone else gets to him."

And maybe, just maybe, there was a little hint of wanting to help her nation's people, too.

She leapt off the railing, snapped open her glider, and took off toward the shore.

~//~


	47. F: Suley

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The next 18 chapters are mini-chapters making up scenes of the Final Battle or Finale or "F" in the chapter title. They're mostly pretty short, but the perspective-switching is necessary to keep up with what everyone's doing, and it's easier to pan that out into short chapters with helpful titles. But they're all technically "Chapter 47"

"What do you mean a boat was stolen? Who's using a boat at this hour?" Suley shoved Ara away from the window to look for himself.

An advisor stepped forward, "It's approaching the passenger ships. Shall we send a fishing boat out to meet them sir, and find out what's going on? Perhaps a messenger hawk?"

Suley scanned the area around the boats. There's only one person who would be bending air into the sails like that. "No, I already know what's going on. It's the Avatar." He swore under his breath. "Prepare a battleship."

~

Suley walked briskly down the path toward the docked battleships, flanked by guards. A small figure ran at him from the side.

A guard raised a pointed spear at the young girl.

"Stand down." Suley muttered, barely even glancing at her. "What do you want?"

"I'm back." Iden said.

"From where, the bathroom?"

Iden stopped in her tracks. "I was kidnapped. For five days."

"Oh." He didn't even slow down as he walked right past her.

A few moments later, Ara rounded the corner of the path. "Iden!" He ran over and pulled her into a hug. "Where the hell were you?"

"Kidnapped."

"Where are they? What did they do to you? Are you okay?"

She nodded numbly, still watching Suley. "I'm fine. I was with the Avatar, looking for her friend. What's Suley doing?"

"He's taking a battleship out to see what that sailboat's doing Seems a bit excessive to me."

Iden nodded. She looked deep in thought, but she wasn't really. The answers were on the surface, she just didn't want to acknowledge them until now. And she could tell Ara was thinking the exact same thing.

He shook his head. "I'm going to see what that boat is up to myself. You keep an eye on Suley. I have a bad feeling about him tonight."

Iden scoffed, "Just tonight?"

~//~


	48. F: Twin Ships

"You're all gonna die! Getting on that boat is a ticket to the grave!" One elderly man stood on the second boat, shouting at the few people who were climbing down to board the sailboat Roh had brought for their mini-army.

"Sir, _please._ Stop." Maita groaned. "Seriously. We've heard enough."

"Don't make me restrain you!" Haider threatened.

"I'm just trying to save their lives!"

It was clearly having an effect.

"Hold on! I wanna get off!" Someone already on the boat said.

"Good on ya, son! Save your life! Save your family!" He said as the man climbed back onto the passenger ship.

Maita flipped the old man the finger.

"You too, young lady! You're gonna get yourself killed out there!"

"Kill me yourself, coward."

His eyes went wide.

A massive screech filled the air, and Haider looked up. Iden and Ara's red dragon circled around above them, and swooped lower. Ara jumped off and onto the deck, and the dragon circled above them, awaiting his next command.

Roh climbed up from the sailboat onto the deck. She landed on the railing and crouched down. "You come for a fight? I'm not sorry about what I did to her."

"Did to who?" Ara asked. "Did you do something to Iden?"

Roh frowned carefully. "Uh… no?"

"I came here to find out what's going on with the boats." He gestured to the sailboat. "What's this?"

"Why would we tell you?" Haider shot.

"Because my brother's on his way here with a battleship and I really want him stopped."

"A battleship!?" Someone in the crowd shouted. 

Roh gripped the staff harder. "I'll take Suley. You guys start rowing toward shore. Haider, fill our troop in on the plan on the way there. Dagon and Maita, take the bison and do some fly-overs, see what we're up against, find a clear path. Is this everyone?" She gestured to the sailboat.

"Yep, that's everyone." Dagon put his hands on his hips, looking warily at the group.

Roh counted less than fifteen people.

"Wait, this is it?" Someone in the boat said, standing up. "I change my mind. We _definitely_ can't take them on. They have tanks and swords and komodo-rhinos!"

Ara clicked his tongue. "Yes, but we have a _dragon._ "

The red dragon swooped low, shooting out a heavy fire blast across the water that could easily incinerate nearly anything in its path.

The man sat back down in the boat.

"Hell yeah we do!" Haider jumped onto a crate at the stern of the small boat. "Men, are you ready to take back your homes!"

Half the voices on the boat shouted yes.

Haider looked around. "Uh, and women."

Everyone shouted a very hearty, "Hell yes!"

Dagon and Maita climbed onto the bison and took off for the mainland. Roh jumped down onto the sailboat, and started bending wind into the sails, and they sped off toward Suley's battleship, which loomed just off the shore.

Before they had even gotten past the passenger ships, a small red fireball shot into the air from Suley's ship, reaching high into the sky, before bursting with a _BANG_ into a thousand smaller red fireballs that rained down above the boats, fizzling out before they made contact.

The traditional red firework: a warning shot.

~//~


	49. F: Rescue

"Taatu." Kota whispered.

He just stared at the wall.

"Will you please say something?"

The boy was completely broken. And Kota was near her breaking point too. She couldn't reach the Spirit World again, and her dreams no longer involved flying. Her dream locations never repeat; it's something new every day. But her past few dreams were all in the exact same place: this room, looking at herself from the opposite wall.

There really was no escape.

She curled up into the corner, still mindful of her injured ankle, though she mostly couldn't feel her foot anymore. She pressed her head against the wall, looking towards the window. She could see the precisely-scratched tally marks along the wall.

She drifted into dreamland, which now only consisted of this room. She had a visceral feeling that she was never going to see anything other than this room. There was no sun anymore, just blue. In her dream, she saw a shadow outside the window. Metalman coming in to make another cut. But the shadow turned into two. And more. Surrounded by a soft orange glow. A snout stuck into view.

And then she heard voices.

She sat up straight to realize her eyes were already open, and she watched in fear as big white paws tried to get closer to the window, but only ended up pushing more sand in.

"Back, boy."

A human face peeked into the window, squinting and holding out a lantern, then their eyes went wide. "They're here!"

Two feet stuck in the window, and a whole airbender followed. He looked ecstatic, before taking in the sight.

More shadows moved around the window.

"Hold up you guys." He called back.

A middle-aged female airbender dropped in. She didn't look nearly as shocked as the younger boy. "It's alright Chen, just stand down a minute, okay?"

He nodded grimly, his eyes adjusting to the dim light enough to finally see all the blood.

The woman caught his expression. "Go outside. Send Panuk in, okay?" She took the lantern from him and set it in the middle of the floor.

He nodded again, then turned away and blew back out the window. There were more voices outside.

Kota could only watch. More than half of her was convinced she'd just advanced from dreams to hallucinations.

The woman took a step toward her and crouched down, getting on her eye level.

Panuk dropped through the window a second later. The woman motioned him to Taatu. He gasped, seeing the blood-soaked shirt and more puddles of flood on the floor, and staining the skin of his hands. Kota looked the same. Panuk strode toward Taatu, dropping to his knees in front of him. "Taatu, my boy. Can you hear me?" He felt around Taatu's neck for wet blood, but there wasn't any.

The woman turned her attention back to Kota. "Hey. Are you Kota? It's okay. My name is Gao-Se, we're here to get you out." She extended her hand for Kota to take. 

Kota just stared at her. She wanted to take her hand. Can you feel hallucinations?

Gao-Se reached down and took Kota's hand.

The contact brought all of Kota's doubts crashing to the ground. She squeezed Gao-Se's hand and felt tears spring to her eyes. She started shaking as tears fell, like a cold shiver that wouldn’t stop.

Gao-Se slid closer and pulled Kota into her arms. "It's okay, shh. We got you."

A loud metal _snap!_ made Kota jump, but she realized it was just Panuk cutting Taatu's chains with a pair of bolt cutters. After a few more snaps, he moved onto hers.

Taatu still hadn't acknowledged anything. His eyes were open but he didn't move.

Panuk cut the chains that held her to the wall, but didn't get the ones around her wrists just yet. He tucked the bolt cutters into his robe and scooped up Taatu. "Let's go. Quickly."

Gao-Se handed Kota out the window, and the brief loss of contact nearly sent her spiraling. Gao-Se climbed out the window right behind her and held her again, keeping her off the bad ankle. A large tongue licked the side of her face, and smelled like wet dog.

Seeing the expansive landscape was far too much. After over a week of having her entire world extend just ten feet in either direction, adjusting her vision and mind to see long-distance was completely disorienting. She made out the shapes of several sky bison before she just shut her eyes and clung to Gao-Se. She didn't open them again until they were in the air.

She felt Panuk cut the chains around her wrists, and finally opened her eyes. Two more bison flew alongside theirs, with more airbenders in one, and Ennis in the other, panting happily. She took a deep breath of the fresh, salty air, and watched Panuk toss the chains over the saddle, into the sea.

She sat up on her own and pulled slightly out of Gao-Se's arms, although the woman kept a hand on Kota's back protectively. "How did you find us?" She croaked.

Panuk pulled some things out of a small bag, and offered her fruit and fresh water in a canteen. He smiled gently. "Word travels fast in the Spirit World."

"You got the message? I didn't say where I was, though."

"Pahuac, the airbender you found in the Spirit World, recognized the work of Metalman." He said gently, his voice lowered. He gestured to his neck.

 _Metalman._ The words sent a dull metal _clunk_ of boots through her brain like a shiver.

"But we had more help. Spirits and humans who have a strong connection in the Spirit World can often find each other in the physical world as well."

Kota frowned in confusion. "The leaf monkey?"

Panuk nodded toward the front of the saddle. There was nothing there at first, but a spirit faded into view. A familiar deer, with sparkly-white swirling patterns.

For a moment, it terrified Kota as it was a symbol from her dreams.

Gao-Se caught her apprehension. "Don’t worry, it's not a dream. I assure you it's real."

Kota tried to relax again. Panuk had covered Taatu in a blanket even though it wasn't cold out, and was rubbing his back nonstop. "Are either of you seriously injured?" He asked.

Kota hesitated, then nodded, keeping her chin low so as not to stretch out the scabs on her neck. "His right thigh. I don't think it's causing this though." She gestured to Taatu's frozen state while Panuk checked his leg. "It happened I think on the second night. But he was talking to me up until this morning."

"He might just need some time." Panuk nodded, looking at the boy with a heartbroken expression. "I should have had someone awake on guard that night. I'm so sorry."

"What about you?" Gao-Se asked. "Are you hurt?"

"Just my ankle. It's not too bad." She avoided mention of their necks. It still felt wrong. A half-healed broken ankle and a stab wound to the thigh are normal injuries; things that can happen. The superficial slices on their necks were identical and obviously created on purpose. She felt like it was something she'd personally done wrong. It nauseated her. She forced those thoughts away. "Where's Roh?"

"I don’t know." Panuk said. "Last I saw she came by the Embassy looking for you, took Ennis, then dropped him back off, and left again. The earthbending boy was with her, and another boy with darker hair, and another girl that looked just like her. Does she have a twin?"

Kota gave another low nod. "Yeah, and the dark-haired boy might've been my brother. When was that?"

"Three or four days ago--"

He was cut off by a loud _BANG_ , and off to their right, the daytime sky sparkled with fireworks. But it wasn't a holiday display. The red color was unique to the Fire Military. It was a warning shot.

~//~


	50. F: Suley's Boat

Roh jumped off the sailboat on a burst of air as they neared Suley's battleship. She snapped open her glider while Haider and the other fighters pulled in the sails and grabbed the oars to take over the last three hundred feet or so to shore.

Her feet crunched as she landed on the deck. The boat must've been poorly stored, since the deck was covered with dust and dirt particles. Barrels lined the main deck. She didn't have to wait long. Suley stepped forward, a grin on his face. "I was wondering when you'd drop by."

She snapped the glider shut with force. "Destroying Ren Haru wasn't enough for you, huh?"

"I'm just trying to give people space to use the freedoms th--"

"Freedoms they were born with, yeah, save it. Your stupid society has already turned into a bureaucracy, and that took what, like a month?"

He grit his teeth. "It's better than the Monarchy. At least in my society everything is fair! Everyone starts off equal, what they choose to do with that is not my problem!"

"It's not mine either, yet here I am, on your dirty-ass boat, having to explain to you that nobody starts off equal in this world. Removing class does not magically solve everything. Some people are born without bending, some are born physically or mentally handicapped, some people aren't as strong, some aren't as smart, the list goes on. You never had a CHANCE at creating an "equal society" because there's no such thing. You just created a world in which violence and greed win. "Fairness" is the stupidest myth I've ever heard."

That got to him more than she'd expected. The dirt around her feet swirled for a moment as he clenched his fists. "If you're so keen on leaving the world flawed the way it is, why are you trying to change my society? It's a natural shift. People live here and like it. Why can't you let them be?"

"Because you've got a whole nation of people out on the water right now! They had to evacuate their entire country because of your violent Residents. They have nowhere to go. This is not the natural way societies shift, this is war."

He carefully stepped toward the door that led to the bridge of the ship. Roh circled him, matching each step. When he reached the door, he yanked it open and yelled down, "Launch the missile!"

Roh's eyes went wide. She lunged toward the door, but a wall of black fire shot up in front of her, sending her tumbling back toward the edge of the deck. She was barely on her feet again when another straight wall of black fire surged perpendicular to the first one, headed straight for her.

The fire burned as it reached her, but it almost felt like the fire itself was physically blowing her back, and she tumbled over the edge, into the water below, without her staff.

~//~


	51. F: Shore

Dagon and Maita landed the bison on the beach, meeting Haider and the troop just as they ran aground. Maita hopped out and stepped up to the fighters. "Follow the edge of these woods straight until you reach the first stone road. Follow that one straight down but be careful, there are Residents lurking in the streets. They're mostly pillaging stuff from houses and businesses, so if you look casual and don't approach them, they might not suspect you. At the end of the first street there's a bridge. Cross that and follow the waterline up to the palace. Behind the palace is the Stamping Press. It's heavily guarded, so be ready. Ara will be following you above with the dragon, in case you run into trouble. If he swoops down, DUCK. Hit the ground, and hopefully everyone else will be incinerated. Cool?"

Haider gave a sharp salute and gathered up an arm of rocks. The others fell into formation behind him, already perfectly organized.

"Uh, good job." Maita said.

"We went over everyone's fighting strengths and weaknesses on the boat." Haider informed her. That would explain why nobody looked twice when the Fire Nation teenager started earthbending. "Move out!" He whispered harshly.

Everyone started moving up the beach and down the tree line in perfect formation, all sides covered.

Maita glanced at Dagon. "I really thought he was all bark and no bite."

Dagon looked around. He hadn't fully been paying attention, but watching the trees. "Well, you might be in for a few surprises tonight."

"The hell does that mean?"

~//~


	52. F: Battleship Bridge

Roh frantically scanned the slick sides of the battleship for any possible way back on. She tried a burst of air beneath her arms but already knew it wouldn't work. Nobody was in earshot. Maybe if she could find where the missile would launch from-- if there even was a missile--

Her panicked thoughts were interrupted by a solid clock on the head. She ducked away quickly and looked over.

"Sorry!" A voice above called.

A rope ladder had been tossed down from the main deck. Roh grabbed it quickly and scampered up before whoever it was could change their mind. She crested the side of the boat to come face-to-face with Iden.

"Consider that payback." Iden gestured to Roh's head. "Go! Use your Avatar powers and stop him or something! I'll try and shut the boat down!"

Roh didn't have time to process several things about that. She sprinted to the bridge and threw the door open, bounding down the steps. Suley had a Fire Navy sailor cornered, holding a piston to his head.

"Launch it now, or it's your head. Understand?"

The sailor looked nervous but stoic. "You said it would only be the warning shot."

"And now the piston is saying otherwise, isn't it? Launch the missile."

The sailor stood up straight, shoulders back, how he was trained to stand in the line of service. "Sir. If you think I value my life more than thousands of people on that ship, you're sorely mistaken."

"Oh? That's too bad." Suley's voice was almost soothing as he pressed the piston's barrel harder against his temple.

Just before Suley pulled the trigger, the sailor made eye contact with Roh. She blinked at the sound, like the last snapshot of the man's life, and when her eyes were open again, he was slumping to the ground, lifeless.

She'd just stood there and watched.

She didn't mentally process anything else until Suley was speaking again, "What a waste. He must've known that wouldn't stop me, right?" He started scanning the buttons and levers and switches on the dashboard, still quite a distance away. He read the markings on the board and started to flip some switches.

"Why are you doing this, Suley?"

He pretended to think. "Hmm… well, I guess if the Avatar would leave me and my society alone, I would consider sparing the ships."

"You know I would, but I don't believe you for one second."

"Smart. Oh, by the way, could you tell my guard at the top of the stairs to come down here, please?"

Roh looked up the stairwell to see one of Suley's guards holding Iden in a chokehold, another piston pressed to her head. "Oh, for fuck's sake…" Roh muttered. She could only step aside while the guard carefully descended the stairs, afraid any sudden movement would leave the young girl on the floor just like the sailor.

The guard carefully brought her to Suley.

"Okay, Navy Brat. You know what to do."

Iden's training kicked in, and she was tensed to fight despite her shaking hands. "I would _never_ launch hostile fire at a passenger vessel. I took the same oath as him." She glanced down at the sailor on the floor. "So quit making a show of it and just kill me already."

Suley steamed and thrust out a fist, connecting squarely with her eye and nose.

Roh flinched, even from across the room.

Iden was unfazed. "Got any more?" She spat.

He punched her again, and the guard holding her looked conflicted.

"DO IT!" Suley screamed, sweeping his hand across the panel of switches. He flipped a few more switches after reading their markings.

Slightly dazed but craftily using his outburst as a distraction, Iden ducked beneath the guard, slipping out between his legs as he reached for her, then she came up behind him and went after the arm with the weapon. She pressed his elbow down across his body on to the panel board, bending his wrist around uncomfortably until the piston was aimed directly at his head, and his other arm was bent behind his back. All in under three heartbeats.

The guard let out a quiet whimper, and Suley rolled his eyes. "We get it, you're "tough". Like to show off your muscle, huh?"

She just watched him mock her, emotionless as her eye swelled and nose bled, vision still swimming from the hits.

_Use your personality to your advantage_

Rya's words echoed in her head. Roh confidently strode right up to the trio, still unsure what she was going to do but figured she'd know when she got there.

"Come any closer and I'll kill h--" Suley tried to raise his bloody piston to Iden's forehead.

"Do it." Roh challenged, pushing through all of them without a care. Sure, she cared a little about Iden, who it appeared was now on their side, but she found it surprisingly easy to turn that off. She stuck two fingers under his chin and heated them up. "Tell me why I shouldn't kill you right now." 

He glanced to his left, reading the panel again. He grinned, despite the flame burning his chin. "Because it wouldn't matter." He said, sticking his hand out and flipping one last switch. A high-pitched hum started from somewhere beneath them, and the sound of mechanical gears shifting started on their left.

Iden went pale.

"What did you do?" Roh glanced back and forth between the lever and Suley.

Iden broke free and dove for the wall, lifting up a grate near the floor and wiggling her way in. "I can defuse it!" She shouted, her voice already muffled. Suley dove after her but he was too large for the crawlspace. He grabbed her ankle.

Roh pounced on top of him, trying anything to get him to let go without also hurting Iden. She gripped his wrist and heated her hand up but he was unfazed. She blasted fire in his eye but he threw back an elbow in her face, and she dropped to the floor, disoriented.

Meanwhile, Suley was trying anything he could to stop Iden. He needed both hands to effectively fuelbend, but he had the piston in one hand and Iden's foot in the other. Without thinking twice, he pressed the piston barrel to the bottom of her foot and pulled the trigger.

Iden's short scream was muffled. Roh quickly righted herself and tackled Suley from the side with the force of wind behind her, sending them both tumbling. He let go of the piston that still impaled Iden's foot, and Roh caught a glimpse of a small, trembling hand reaching back and pulling the pointed end out with great effort, before she disappeared into the red-lit crawlspace again.

Roh had Suley pinned against the corner and she was already heating up, her fingertips turning the color of burning embers as she grabbed his throat with both hands and squeezed.

Suley forced a smile across his face, even as his entire head shook from Roh's effort. At the last second, she realized he wasn't smiling at her, but at something behind her. She ducked backward just in time to see the pointed end of a piston shoot out where her skull had been milliseconds before. She grabbed the weapon and braced her foot off Suley's face, flipping over aided by a gust of wind, and landed on the guard's shoulders. Without hesitation, she drove the already-released pointed end of the piston into his chest by sheer force, turning him around midair so he landed on the weapon, driving it home.

Suley got up and stumbled, rubbing his neck but still looking at her with murderous rage.

She looked back, energized, with murderous glee.

"You killed that guy." He reminded her.

She realized what he was doing. He was trying to make her feel guilty, thinking she was one of _those_ Avatars. It was cute. She just nodded. "Yep."

"Ended his future. He had a wife."

She bounced on her toes, ready for his next strike. "Kids too, probably." She agreed.

"It's cute, that you act like you don't care. And yet… you care about all the thousands of lives on that ship."

This talk was boring her. She leapt off her feet and grabbed his shoulders mid-air, using her full weight to bring him to the ground with her. "Wrong again." She huffed, trying to predict whatever firebending move he was going to use next. She was ready to dodge anything.

But instead, he reached for the crawlspace grate and pressed his hand against it. Dirt and dust from the floor swirled toward his hand and slipped through the gaps, swirling faster and faster until smoke started to billow back out of the grate, causing both of them to cough.

Roh quickly cleared the air with a sweeping gust of wind, and spread it into the crawlspace too, as she heard Iden coughing.

~

Iden pushed harder against the dirty metal pipe with her good foot, trying to force her shoulders under a rail that was never meant for people to pass under. Just ahead was the large, curved body of the torpedo missile in the launch shaft, and at the back of it, a gas-powered flame lit the fuse string. She knew all too well, once that small spark went into the body of the torpedo, there was no going back.

The metalworks were dimly lit with red emergency lights, and she could see the spark nearing the end of the fuse. She forced her shoulders further, finally squeezing through, though it tore at her back. The red lights started to fade, and the air grew thick with black ash and particles. She inhaled too hard and started coughing, the smoke filling her nose, mouth, and eyes. She shut her eyes tight and pulled herself forward from memory, using crisscrossed support beams as a horizontal ladder.

A gust of fresh air blew through, and she opened her eyes. It did little to clear the air. The wind stirred up more dust and, to Iden's horror, gave the sparking fuse a little boost. She watched helplessly as the fuse disappeared into the torpedo body. It was too late, but she might as well try, since she got this far. Fighting consciousness as the smoke filled her lungs, she wheezed one last breath and spit into her hand, reaching for a fuse string she could no longer see.

She felt her palm burn, and heard a soft _hiss_ of smoke, before the inner gates pushed the torpedo into the outer launch chamber, draining the water and shooting the missile out into the sea. Blackness took over.

~

Roh tried to fight Suley's hand away again but the space had already filled with thick smoke by the time she knocked Suley away. She tried to blow in a gust of fresh air to dissipate the smoke. A few moments later, they both heard the mechanical cranking as the torpedo was pushed into place, and the _thoonk_ as it fired.

Roh shot up and flew up the steps. She could do nothing but watch from the deck as the torpedo tore through the bottom of the first boat.

There was an awful metal-tearing-metal screech that could be heard well above water, and terrified shouts filled the air, and then silence, waiting for the explosion that never came.

Nonetheless, the lower levels of the boat started to slip below the waterline, and lifeboats dropped as people jumped in, screaming and grabbing their loved ones.

~//~


	53. F: Empty Village

Haider led the small troop down the stone street, so far not attracting any attention, the quietness rendering everyone uneasy. As they stepped into an exposed crossroads, decorated by an ornate fountain that was still flowing water, an awful tearing screech reached their ears.

Everyone jumped and searched for the sound that seemed to be echoing from all directions. Very faintly, they could hear shouts from the boat. Without hesitation, two men at the back broke off and sprinted toward the shore for their loved ones.

The remaining crew filled in the empty space they'd left, and looked around the square. The sound drew out Residents who were rummaging through shops and homes, and they stepped out of their work to see Haider's crew standing defensively in the middle of the square, with Dagon holding up the back. It was pretty obvious they didn't belong.

Several Residents called out to the others, rushing toward Haider's crew.

Haider tried to throw up a rock wall, but the stone street was too solid for his abilities.

Dagon held up his hands. "Stop! We're part of the New Yelsu society!"

"Oh yeah?" One of the Residents challenged.

Following Dagon's lead, the rest of Haider's crew lowered their weapons and tried to look casual.

"We're the newcomers. From an Earth Kingdom ship."

"What ship?" The Resident stepped right up to him, holding a knife under his chin.

Dagon took a barely-perceptible breath. "Yan Shao."

The man lowered his knife, and took a careful step back. He gave Dagon the tiniest nod.

"Take em out!" Another Resident across the street shouted.

"They're New Yelsu. Stand down." The man called back.

But the other Resident wasn't so easily convinced. "Where from?"

"Earth Kingdom!" Dagon shouted.

"Prove it!"

Everyone turned to Haider, who was more than happy to show off. He lifted a stone flowerpot from eight paces away, and threw it crashing against a rooftop. The shards and dirt tumbled down the slope, and the flower landed on the second Resident's head. Haider laughed openly.

The Resident quickly combed the dirt out of his hair and grumbled, stepping back into the building.

Dagon turned back to the first man, "Have you seen any more from the Yan Shao boat?"

"Up ahead. Protecting the palace."

Dagon bowed, and the man bowed back. "Keep moving." Dagon instructed, and Haider led the crew further. The crossed the bridge over the small man-made waterway and followed the waterline.

Just ahead, the gates to the palace loomed, and the guard towers were active. They kept low next to the foliage, but the path along the outer wall was right in the line of sight of the guard tower.

"How the hell are we supposed to get in?" Someone whispered.

"We're not." Haider whispered back. "The Stamping Press is behind the palace."

"Either way, they'll see us."

Haider looked around for another way. Everyone's eyes landed on their best option: the waterway. He carefully walked down to the tiled edge of the canal and stuck his foot in. He tried to reach the bottom without getting all the way in, but couldn't quiet reach.

A _splash_ in the back made him jump, and he turned around to see Dagon standing in the waist-high water.

Haider slid in like that's what he meant to do. "Pull up your trousers, boys."

Someone cleared their throat.

Haider rolled his eyes. "And girls."

Carrying their weapons high, the remainder of Haider's troop slid silently into the water and started trekking along the outside of the palace wall, out of view of the guard tower. The small water ditch was tiled the whole way across, with small lilies and cattails lining the edges and little bridges every so often. But there were no bridges this far back. While the front of the palace was presentable, the back opened into some harder-to-reach areas for crew and guards to leave discreetly, or shipments to come in. On one of those backroads sat the Stamping Press.

Haider could already see it was heavily guarded. He stopped and turned back. "Four Residents on each side of the building" He whispered. "Small building, approximately twenty-by-forty feet visible, but there's probably a back room or storage area. Windows lining the front side and part of the two touching it. Doors only appear to be on the sides. I think if we attack from one side, it'll draw--" He ducked as he saw Dagon raise his hands.

Everyone followed Haider's lead and ducked low against the water, letting Dagon shoot fire fists at a Resident running up to them. The Resident was knocked back, giving the troop enough time to climb out of the waterway and charge the Stamping Press.

There were sixteen Residents in total guarding it, and they clearly weren't expecting earthbending. Haider stomped his foot, breaking loose some stones and dust, and gathered that into a rock arm, making a fist at his side. He shot the rock arm away from his body as a Resident charged him with a spear. The rock broke with force over the man's face, and he dropped to the ground, out cold.

Dagon lingered back, making sure there was backup whenever someone needed it, sending out a ground blast beneath Residents' feet when one of their troop members seemed to have the disadvantage.

One of the Residents must have set off a help signal of some sort, because backup moved in. _Heavy_ backup.

Dagon could only grab Haider's collar and reach for a few others of his troop to turn their attention to the end of the alley. Within moments, the entire neighborhood was dead silent. Except for the scrape of a clawed komodo rhino foot. _Several_ clawed feet.

At the end of the alley, Residents riding four giant komodo rhinos stared them down. Backing them up were several tanks and other state-of-the-art armored vehicles from the stolen Fire Military armada.

And cornered at the other end of the alley: Haider's rag-tag crew of thirteen citizens with measly hand weapons.

He started looking for exits, only to realize more Residents were waiting on the roofs of every building lining the alley. And behind him was the notoriously impenetrable palace wall.

Haider bit his lip to keep from saying anything discouraging, but someone else said it for him:

"Fuuuuuuuuuuck."

Dagon gave a three-toned whistle and stepped forward. "We came in on the Yan Shao boat." He said.

One of the Residents on a rhino laughed. "Yeah, guess what? We don't give a shit! Anything you wanna say before we string your intestines from the trees?"

Dagon carefully reached into his vest pocket and pulled out a purple headband with one white stripe around the middle. He tied it around his head while keeping his gaze locked with the Resident, stealing glances through his peripherals.

A troop member behind him said in a small voice, "Man, I wish I'd picked out a death outfit too."

Haider looked along the rooftops. Each Resident was silently pulling out a purple headband as well, tying it around their foreheads. One woman on a komodo rhino did the same.

"Traitors!" Someone shouted.

Predictably, all hell broke loose. Someone jumped off the roof and landed on the Resident in front, shoving him off and taking control of the rhino. Within seconds, the Resident's torso was nearly as flat as the street itself. Haider thought he could see the outlines of individual stones on his now-paper-thin body.

More Rebels landed on tanks and armored vehicles; some were already inside them. They backed them up to form a guard around the Stamping Press. More one-on-one battles ensued, but many Residents started retreating when they realized they'd lost most of the armada.

Dagon sprinted for the Stamping Press door. The doors were chained shut and the windows were barred. He grabbed the metal padlock, trying to determine the best way of breaking it open. He started to heat up the hook but it clearly wasn't going to be enough.

Haider and a few others reached him shortly after, while the rest guarded their backs. "Allow me." Haider gave a smug look and grabbed the padlock. He raised a clump of dirt from the ground and directed it into the keyhole. After a little twisting and finagling, the lock popped open. He was disappointed there wasn't time for congratulations.

Dagon ripped the lock off and shoved through the door. Inside sat several pallets of freshly-stamped parchment paper, cut and ready to go, with an ink image of Suley's face stamped on it. And Amiron's face on the other side. Without hesitation, Dagon started scorching everything in sight, and he was soon joined by the other firebenders of the group.

Clearly though, this had been accounted for. The rising heat triggered a light lever in the ceiling. Without warning, the ceiling tiles gave way, breaking under the force of several hundred gallons of water dropped from a container above, soaking everything in sight and sending the firebenders to the ground with its sheer force.

When the water stopped falling, Dagon pushed himself to his feet and shook his hair out, surveying the scene. Everyone was okay. But there was no way this stuff would light on fire now.

He started tearing off the outer layer of papers, hoping maybe the water hadn't seeped in yet, and the other firebenders did the same. They came to the quick realization that the paper was only about a foot thick. Still a lot of money, but beneath that was just empty wooden boxes.

"It's a decoy!" Dagon kicked the boxes. He slopped the wet papers to the ground. "This isn't all of it."

~//~


	54. F: Water Rescue

Roh swooped low around the sinking boat, taking in the scene. It was clear that there weren't enough lifeboats for everyone onboard. People were overflowing the existing lifeboats, and trying to climb onto the other ship, making it dip dangerously low in the water. People screamed for her as she flew past, but there was nothing she could've done right then anyway. More people were climbing onto the wreckage of the first boat, and at least the point of it didn't seem to be sinking.

Pouring on the speed, she flew back to the shore and landed on a dock. She curled a fire whip around her fist and snapped it at the ropes that tethered every small boat to the pier. She flew to the next pier and did the same, and the next, and the next. Finally, she flew up high, circling back around, and with all her might, blew a wind tunnel on the first set of boats out to the sea.

Some of them caught the right wave and slipped closer out to sea, but most of them were stubbornly resisting leaving the harbor.

She shut her eyes tight, trying to trigger the Avatar State, hoping maybe she could send everyone ashore on a giant wave or something. But nothing happened. She just stood there on the dock while the screams reached her ears.

She saw the shadow of the bison dipping low over the water and gathering some people on its back. She was pretty sure she'd told Maita to stay with Haider and Dagon, but she was glad to have the help now.

Then she saw another bison. And another. It wasn't Maita.

~

"Take them to the hill up there!" Gao-Se shouted to Panuk, pointing toward the shore. His bison was already weighed down with infants and children, and yet more parents bobbed in the waves, holding up their babies and begging someone to take them.

Taatu still wasn't moving. Panuk steered the bison away from the water, even as people desperately reached for it as they left.

Gao-Se's bison was almost weighed down too. Ennis had jumped off the third bison into the water and disappeared somewhere, leaving the third bison empty.

She handed the reins to Kota. "We're full here too. Follow Panuk, I'll grab some more, meet you there, okay?"

Kota nodded, taking the reins and steering toward the shore, as Gao-Se flew over to the other bison, taking it down to the water to grab more children.

Parents shouted at her as she passed over, screaming for attention, then begging, then cursing as they realized she wasn't stopping. As if everything else about today hadn't shaken her to her core. She didn't even look where the bison was going, spaced out. Taatu had the right idea…

She blinked. Something in the water caught her eye. A familiar white star pattern on a black shirt. On an unmoving body, floating face-down.

Without thinking twice, she handed the reins to the oldest-looking kid in the saddle, probably no more than five, and jumped into the freezing water.

~

Roh circled the first bison as it landed. The saddle was full of infants, toddlers, one adult healer who'd been pulled from the water, and Panuk and Taatu.

She landed on the bison's head. "Where's Kota?"

Panuk didn't quite hear her.

She looked at Taatu, pale and unmoving, his skin clammy, and two red, bloody slices across his throat.

"…He's dead." Roh whispered to herself.

Panuk finally noticed her, and thought she was looking for a specific child. "I'm sorry, we were too late for--"

Roh jumped back into the air before he could finish that sentence. She landed in the grass and sprinted to the edge of the cliff, jumping straight down and letting the shore rush at her face. At the last second, she snapped the glider open and shot more speed into the wings than she ever had. Aimed straight for Suley's boat.

~//~


	55. F: Bridge II

Roh landed on the deck of the battleship, sending dirt and dust flying in every direction. The deck was empty as far as she could tell, so she dropped right down the stairs to the bridge.

"SULEY!" She found him stuck halfway into the crawlspace, reaching the hooked end of a cane inside. He pulled out as soon as she approached.

"Done saving all those people already, Avatar? I can still hear screams, are you sure you got everyone?"

She was beyond any sort of conversation right now. She was on him in under two seconds, one arm raised high above him.

"Let me guess, you're going to fire-punch me? That's c--" He choked on his last word as she squeezed the air from his lungs. She didn't care if she was bending air or blood, she just wanted it to hurt.

But he had more strength in reserves than she thought. He brought his knee up and flipped her over, pinning her face-down. Before she could even react, he'd tapped up and down her back quickly and stepped away.

Her arms and legs tingled, and everything connecting them felt like jelly. He kicked her onto her back and stood over her triumphantly. "All my people wanted was freedom and to be left alone. You should've taken your monarchy somewhere else. Because we'll get what we want, I'm just sad it has to be done the hard way."

Roh caught her breath, pure rage raising her blood pressure and forcing feeling back into her limbs sooner than chi blocking should. "You killed her." She shot hoarsely.

Suley snorted and glanced toward the glowing red crawlspace. "It's about time. Have you met her? She's practically begging for it."

"Kota." Roh spat.

"Oh. I don’t even know what a "kota" is."

She knew he was objectifying her name to piss Roh off, and she let it work. She struggled to sit up. "My best friend. My girlfriend. And you ordered her killed like you were ordering dinner. At least have the respect to fight her yourself, you gutless shitcake."

Suley glanced out the bridge windows at the scene, which was occasionally washed over in dim light from the lighthouse up the cliff. He took in the remaining boat, being weighed down by the sheer number of people trying to climb on. The fleet of bobbing overstuffed lifeboats, the last remaining tip of the first boat which seemed to be staying above the water for now, and no doubt countless bodies still floating in the water. He looked back at Roh. "You're here to get revenge for your friend?"

Roh staggered to her feet. "What else would I be doing?"

Something clicked in Suley's brain. "You weren't kidding, were you? You were serious when you said you don't care about taking my guard's life, or the thousands of lives on those boats."

"You're right." Roh admitted. "I only feel euphoric when bad people die. Good people? Boring."

He laughed like she was in trouble. "Imagine when the world hears about THIS! An Avatar that doesn't care about her people? They'll revoke your Avatarhood, what's that called again? Oh yeah, execution." 

Roh had enough control now to lunge forward, but he took her down easily with a kick to the knee. He knelt down in front of her and lifted her head up by her hair. Still, she grinned. "I'd like to see them try and kill the Avatar."

"What was that neat little trick you pulled a minute ago? With the air? Was it something like… this?" He splayed his hand, and dirt particles raced across the floor toward him, stirring up so quickly they were hot by the time they reached his hand.

She finally put it together. "You're an earthbender." It was all she could manage before the nearly-combusted dirt flew into her airways. Inhaling would be suicide.

He dropped her head, stood up, and walked back over to the panel. "Now, that ship isn't fully sunk yet, and there's simply too many lifeboats littering my view of the water. How do I launch that second missile?"

~//~


	56. F: Floating

Kota kicked hard with her good foot, which still caused pain to shoot through her bad ankle, lighting up nerves all the way to her chest. She broke above the surface and scanned the dark waves frantically for that floating body she'd just seen. She'd jumped so close to it, he should be right…

There. She used her arms only, although none of her body really had any strength left and she already felt like she was slipping under, even alone.

She reached the young boy and rolled his pale body over, confirming her absolute worst fears.

"Jaso." She shook the boy's body slightly. "Jaso. Please." She pressed two fingers to his neck. She couldn't be 100% sure it really was a pulse or if it was just her own, or if she was imagining it to cope with everything happening. Or maybe this boy wasn't even her little brother, maybe it was some stranger and she was hallucinating his face.

She wasn't about to take any chances. She wrapped an arm around him, so his back was to her chest, and turned herself face-up. The bison had definitely moved on but the shore wasn't too far off. Maybe if she could catch the right wave current…

She kicked harder but felt herself going nowhere. Pure reflex kept her kicking, eventually with both feet, her brain shutting off pain signals from her foot. Without turning around, she kept feeling like the shore was just a few kicks away, but she never turned around.

It seemed like she was blacking out between blinks now, not even positive this wasn't a dream. Whenever she would black out, her head would slip under the waves and the coldness jolted her back awake for a few seconds, but now her head felt warm…

~

The cresting waves took the duo towards shore, but she went limp just before where the final row of waves was drawing from. The boy floated in the water, face-up, while the girl's position trying to hold him left her face-down. Not more than twelve feet from shore, but never getting any closer.

~//~


	57. F: Bridge III

Roh's coughing fit left her with stinging tears pouring down her face and unable to take in air, to the point of fighting consciousness. She could hardly see a thing through her watery eyes, and opening them just made it worse. She vaguely registered that something crawled out of the grate to her right, though it was hard to hear anything over the sound of her own coughing.

Iden stood up and tried to sneak out without Suley noticing, but her limp gave her away. 

"Iden, how do you launch a missile here? I forgot what I did the first time."

Iden's eyes went wide, hearing his plan. Everything was already engaged from the first launch; the aim, the preparation chamber... He just needed to--

He started to reach for the correct lever, and Iden dove forward. She jammed her left hand in the slot so the lever couldn't be brought down all the way.

"Well, thanks for telling me which one it is, dumbass." Suley shoved her away, but she jammed her fingers in harder and held on for dear life. For the lives of the survivors still out there.

He was definitely pissed. "Do you think you're gonna stop me with one hand? And would you shut up!" He turned back to Roh, who was coughing every few seconds with hardly any break.

Iden had no plan other than hold on. She tried to take him out with a series of kicks and maneuvers, but he just stepped back, and she couldn't reach him without taking her hand away. Seeing her stuck position, he reached over and slammed at the lever a few times, pinching and bruising her fingers, but otherwise doing nothing.

"Why do you want to do this anyway? They were _leaving_." She asked.

Suley scoffed. "The Earth Kingdom won't take them. They'll be back eventually. They're a direct threat to freedom."

"They haven't done anything wrong!"

"Not yet, but they will. The nation needs a fresh start."

She just looked up at him. "You've genuinely gone mad."

"I'm just a product of the world, aren't I?" He gestured to her hand, "Now, we can do this the easy way or the hard way."

She narrowed her eyes. "You already know my answer."

He looked around the room. "Well, I know your stubborn ass would let me cut your hand off, but I don't have time for that." He bent down and yanked the piston out of the dead guard's chest, pulling back the spring to reset the spiked end.

Iden jammed her hand in further, making sure even if he did cut off her hand, he would still have a hard enough time getting it out that she could maybe retaliate--

Suley stepped forward and raised the bloody piston barrel to her forehead.

She swallowed hard and locked eyes with him. He'd threatened to kill her plenty of times, and even made it seem like he would act on it more than once. But he'd never been this close. A finger twitch away, and willing.

The tension didn't get past Suley, either. He had a flash memory of holding her as a baby, but it didn't faze him.

Her face was calm and her voice unnaturally steady as she said, "What kind of mayor lets his people drown?"

He drew in a breath through his teeth and raised the wrist holding the piston, keeping the barrel in place. "I should kill you just for insinuating…" He trailed off.

She just smiled, almost sweet. "I'll tell Dad you said hi."

Suley pulled the trigger.

Something snapped inside the weapon, like a spring knocking loose, but nonetheless when he drew it away, there was a small red stain dripping from her forehead, and she dropped to the ground, the sound unnaturally heavy for someone so light on their feet. The force pulled on her fingers with _several snaps_ from inside her hand and wrist, and Suley pried the rest of her hand out.

Roh's coughing had mostly subsided, but she could still feel the particles in her lungs, and was still fighting consciousness. She heard most of their exchange but couldn't move, and looked up in time to see Suley draw the lever down, unobstructed. Something mechanical beneath them began to shift, and Roh recognized the sound of a torpedo being loaded into the launch chamber. 

A glistening light descending the stairs caught her attention. She thought she was just seeing spots in her vision until the light drew closer and faded into view, taking on a form: a deer. An 'invisible' deer that bore a sparkling swirl pattern, just as Kota had described, though more like a fawn than a full-grown deer. For more than just a moment, she entertained the idea that it was Kota's ghost.

But as her coughing cleared up and her vision faded back in fully, she realized it was probably just a spirit. The creature walked right up to Roh and lowered its head. Roh didn't really have time to pet spirits right now, but she had no idea what she was supposed to do from here, with a supposed missile launching at the first boat where survivors still clung desperately, and the only girl who knew how to stop it lying dead on the floor.

The spirit nudged closer, and Roh finally reached out to touch its head. As soon as she did, a vision flashed across her eyes.

Kota, in the water. Kota, floating face-down. The boats were in the background. She was nearby. And Roh could hear her heartbeat.

Riding a new wave of energy, Roh pushed herself to her knees and gripped the edge of the map table. Suley turned around.

"She's alive!" Roh choked out. She made a dash for the stairs, and the spirit flew ahead of her up the stairwell, but Suley was faster than Roh. He raised his hand, gathering up a wall of dirt and rocks, sealing off the doorway.

"No!" Roh tried to punch through the wall, she tried to airbend against it, but it was solid.

It was solid because Suley was still holding it, with his bending. She charged him, not even taking time to think about bending or strategy or anything, she just tackled him, slamming him against the control board before they both tumbled to the ground. She rolled him over between her knees and desperately tried anything to get him to let go of the wall. He wrapped his free hand around her neck, tightening his grip, but she didn't care about breathing or bloodflow. Her only advantage was sheer rage, drawing from some combination of self-defense classes and just being genuinely unhinged.

She dug her fingers into his left eye, clawing around the socket and finding the right spot to sink her fingers right into his skull.

Suley shrieked with pain and fear, a primal defense, releasing his grip on her throat and simultaneously releasing the dirt wall. Nearly taking his eyeball with her, Roh pushed off his body and turned for the door, but within seconds he'd put it back up again.

Her fingers pulled away bloody, and she fought toward the wall, hoping maybe it wasn't as strong this time. Unfortunately, it was still impenetrable. She turned back to Suley, who staggered to his feet, his left eyeball dangling down his cheek by one nerve. He moved toward her with surprising speed while still holding the wall up.

Just as he walked past the wall of dirt he was holding, it burst open and crumbled. The layer of dirt and dust toppled over Suley, and Ara stepped through. "Where's my si--" He froze when he saw her body. Roh has not seen someone genuinely suspend all movement in their body the way Ara did in that moment.

As Roh took her first step toward the stairs, Ara took his first step toward Iden, and Suley took his first step for Roh, all of them were interrupted by a brief rumble beneath them, followed by a massive flash of white light out the bridge window.

Even from behind the window and a fair distance away, all three of them felt the heat from the blast, followed by the window-rattling sound: a cracking _boom_ that was small and localized at first, followed by a much bigger, chest-rumbling _FOOM_ that seemed to come at them from all sides.

Roh's mouth went dry when she realized the missile hadn't been aimed at the first, sinking ship. It struck the second one, which moments ago had nearly been tipping over from the sheer amount of people trying to save themselves. And unlike the first one, it didn't go down slowly. Even though the smoke hadn't cleared, Roh could already tell there wasn't any recognizable boat parts left to speak of.

Their ears rang in the silence, and Roh saw rather than heard Ara move first. He slid across the floor on his knees and scooped Iden into his arms.

Roh turned and ran up the stairs before Suley could stop her again. He bolted after her, reaching the top of the stairs, and remotely knocked over five barrels on the deck of the ship. She soon realized how: all of them contained rocks and dirt.

As Roh dove for her staff along the deck of the boat, a wall of black fire higher than she'd ever seen shot up in front of her. She forced her way through it, only to find Suley holding her staff.

"Oh, were you looking for this?" His voice was thick as the clumps of blood from his eye socket slid down over his mouth. He easily snapped it over his knee and tossed the pieces overboard.

Roh rushed to the edge of the boat and looked out, wondering if by some miracle Kota was in sight and she could swim to her. But without the staff she had no way of scanning the waterline besides on foot. She turned and raised her hands to shoot a fireblast, but Suley was already sending a massive wall of black fire at her. The fact that it was earthbending just made her realize she has even less control of it, since she has absolutely no idea how to earthbend.

Suley let the fire drop for a minute, though some wooden supports and floorboards around him had caught fire. "You know if you kill me, they won't stop." He gestured to the shore.

"Gotta start somewhere." Roh coughed, shielding her face from the smoke in the crook of her elbow.

Ara stepped up the last few stairs and onto the open deck, eyes red and Iden in his arms. He raised a hand to his mouth and whistled.

A shadow loomed above them, and Roh and Suley could only jump out of the way to avoid being crushed by the red dragon landing on the deck, avoiding the parts that were catching fire.

Roh jumped back up, "I hereby commandeer--"

"Take it." Ara said, his voice cracking. He handed Iden off to Roh. "Take her somewhere safe. This isn't your fight."

Without hesitation, Roh blasted air beneath her and landed on the dragon's neck. They took off into the sky.

~

This child is not her problem. If Roh had the time, she would feign all the empathy necessary, but deep down she didn't care one bit for the young girl in her arms, or people out at sea. She cared about saving her mother, grandmother, and Kota, because they provided for her. Because Kota made her feel more emotions than she'd ever felt before. Because her life would be unbearable without them.

And right now they were all out at sea. As she sat there trying to trigger the Avatar State yet again, the dragon habitually brought her back over the city, toward the palace.

Bringing Iden to 'safety' was getting in the way of Roh's immediate goals. The dragon swooped low over the city. Without any hesitation or second thought, she shoved Iden's body away from her, dropping her maybe thirty feet to the ground.

There. She'd brought the dragon low enough to not splatter her remains. Is that caring? In reality, it was probably the dragon itself who brought them down anyway. Roh pulled on the reins and steered the beast back toward the sea.

~//~


	58. F: Fire Lord's Palace

"If it's the rest of the money you're looking for, it's all in the palace, heavily guarded." One of the rebels stood at the doorway of the Stamping Press.

Dagon wiped droplets of water off his face and tried to wring out his shirt. He stepped out of the small building and surveyed the troops. They had komodo rhinos, they had a few tanks, a few ostrich horses, and a bunch of weapons. And about thirty new rebels on their side.

"Go up to the palace and do that headband thing again." Haider said.

The rebel shook her head. "There aren't any more of us on the inside."

"Okay, so let's make a plan. We find a core team who's gonna get into the palace, and everyone else hold off the outside guards long enough to get in. Do we know which room they're keeping it in?" Haider said.

An elder man with a purple headband put his hand on Haider's shoulder. "Son. We can't reach it. We're lucky to get away with our lives right now."

Some of the rebels sat down in defeat.

"But we have a dragon! We have Ara and the--"

"Where?" Someone from Haider's troop asked. "We haven't seen his ass the entire raid."

Everyone's thoughts were cut off by two subsequent explosions, and a flash of light that lit up part of the night sky over the sea.

Only silence followed.

"What was that?" A man from Haider's troop asked, his voice breaking like he already knew the answer.

Sickness settled in everyone's stomachs, Haider included, but an idea also settled into his brain. He turned away from Dagon, facing everyone else. "We have to blow up the palace."

"Can we figure out what that was first?" Someone asked, absolute fear in his voice.

"Whatever it was, there's nothing we can do about it!" Haider replied.

"Dude, how insensitive are you?" Someone else stepped up to Haider, as if looking for a fight.

"Why are you trying to fight me, I'm on your side!"

The man stepped back. "Whatever side you're on, I'm not. I'm going to see if I can help with whatever that was. Have fun hurting more people, though." He grabbed his hand weapon and started off down the alley towards the center of town. More than half the group followed him.

"Wait! Everyone needs you here more! What do you think you can do over there, anyway?"

Dagon gripped Haider's shoulder, and shot him a universal you're-making-it-worse look. They could only watch as at least twenty people walked off on the spot, some of them breaking into a jog, and taking all the komodo rhinos with them.

Haider resisted spitting after them. Real strength is putting family second over the good of the people. He had real strength. Although he now realized it might just be because he has no family. He turned back to the others. "Alright. Blowing up the palace. Anyone know if there's explosives in those tanks?"

Nobody spoke up, they all just kinda shifted awkwardly on their feet. As if they were just humoring him at this point.

"C'mon! We can singlehandedly overthrow this insane murderous anarchy and take back our country! When have we ever been this close!? Let's go, explosives!"

His cheer was punctuated by a SPLASH in the canal behind them, and a shadow looming low overhead that disappeared quickly. They all tensed, thinking maybe a Resident had dropped some kind of bomb over the palace wall to take them out. Instead, nothing happened. A small shadow loomed just below the surface.

Dagon lit up a flame in his palm to go check it out, but another, larger shadow swam up the waterway quickly, on a crash course with whatever had just landed in the water. Honestly, Haider still thought it was some kind of bomb the Residents had dropped over the palace wall, and they were about to get sprayed with the guts of a large fish in the wrong place at the really wrong time.

Instead, a familiar blue-and-white canine figure jumped out of the water, carrying whatever had just landed over his back.

Haider's stomach sank. For a brief moment, he truly believed the smaller thing in the water was a bomb, and for a second, he understood what the rebels who abandoned them were feeling.

Ennis bounded over, licking Haider and carefully dumping his cargo onto the stone street. He sat down and waited for scratches.

Seeing that the cargo was a human body, Haider threw his arm around Ennis and pressed his face into his wet fur while everyone else fussed over whomever just fell out of the sky.

Dagon recognized her immediately. Iden. She had a bloody red dot on her forehead, but the wound looked shallow. Her left hand looked partially shredded. Any other injuries were covered by her Fire Navy uniform.

"Is she dead?" Someone asked.

Dagon had laid her on the ground, but she was clearly breathing.

Haider waved his arm toward the tanks. "Gather all the explosive materials from those. There should be a lotta wax bombs in there. We can try and find a way to get them into the palace."

"How?"

"I don't know yet! Maybe we could… put them inside a giant wooden statue and pretend we're offering a present?"

"Your ideas suck." Someone else shouted.

"Just search the trucks, nobody asked for your opinion!"

His troop and the other rebels complied, raiding all compartments of the tanks and trucks.

Another shadow briefly blocked out the moonlight and descended onto the street next to them. Maita jumped down from the bison.

"Where the hell have you been?" Haider challenged.

She looked exhausted, her clothes disheveled. "Rescuing children. You?"

Dagon shrugged his shoulders and looked around, a bit aggravated. "Doing nothing, apparently."

But Haider was staring at the bison with newfound interest. Maita and Dagon watched his face change from frowning to surprise to a pure evil grin.

"Is he having a poop?" Maita asked.

"I think he's having an… idea?"

Haider snapped out of it. He pointed to the bison. "Get Roh. We need an airbender."

"Uh, she's a little… busy. But there are other airbenders up the cliff."

"Perfect! Get the strongest one, or several!" He turned to the troop raiding the tanks. "Scratch that, boys." He cringed. "We're going swimming."

Maita rolled her eyes and climbed back onto the bison. "Why can't you just say what you're gonna do?"

~//~


	59. F: Spirit On The Beach

The deer spirit trotted around the beach frantically, remaining visible in hopes someone would see it. But nobody was around. Even the Avatar, whom the spirit thought was right behind, was busy somewhere else.

The spirit could feel the energy of the human it had bonded with, Kota. Her life force was just a flicker. Not just weak anymore, but genuinely flickering between life and death. It trotted back into the water, trying to grab Kota's shirt with its teeth to pull, but still, it wasn't strong enough.

There was really only one thing left to try. The deer pushed itself headfirst into Kota's shoulder, merging, and took over her body. Unsure if it would kill her or not, the spirit took a chance. She was about to die anyway.

In full control of her body now, the spirit pedaled her arms and swam forward, desperately reaching for the shore, knowing that fully healthy humans will die if a spirit merges with them for longer than a few minutes.

After a few tries, they caught the right wave and washed right up on the shore. The deer spirit leapt out of Kota's body, although it wasn't without damage to her. Some of its swirl pattern was permanently etched on her skin, and there was probably more unseen effects, but for now the damage seemed to be minimal.

With new strength, Kota drew in air and reflexively coughed out the seawater she'd taken in. She opened her eyes and saw a sparkling hoof. Her memory caught up with her and she looked around frantically for Jaso. He was still floating just past the cresting waves, on his back.

Kota stumbled to her knees, ignoring her bad foot, and threw herself back into the water, using the brief burst of strength the spirit had given her. She grabbed her little brother's shirt and dragged him back ashore with her, where she collapsed once again, reaching one hand up to his neck.

There was a strong pulse, and his chest rose and fell under her arm. She let out a sound that was near a sob, and let herself forget everything else. Forget the pain radiating up her leg. Forget the psychological trauma of the past week. Forget the fact that the rest of her family was probably dead or dying at this very moment. And forget Roh.

Temporarily.

For now, she was able to rest knowing that she'd done everything she possibly could.

~//~


	60. F: Tunnel

Panuk stood steady in the saddle of a bison, still not positive what the earthbender kid's plan was. But he knew his and Gao-Se's role: blow air into the tunnel.

They couldn't even talk as they waited for the signal; the roar of the short waterfall was too loud. And it stank to high spirits. Until they got the signal, he and Gao-Se were bending pockets of fresh air in front of their mouth and nose.

He was more than a little annoyed that this was taking valuable time they could be using the bison to save those that remained in the water. Though on the last fly-over, it looked like mostly bodies. Still, perhaps just unconscious bodies that could be revived--

Half a mile inland, Maita's bison raised into the air, and she shot a fireblast into the sky. The signal they'd been waiting for.

The experienced airbenders aimed their palms at the open tunnel and collectively forced the strongest possible wind funnel into the oversized pipe, driving all the stale sewage air deep into the pipe.

~

Dagon saw the manhole down the street nearly blow off from the force of air trying to release. "Here it comes!" He shouted.

Everyone who had gathered around the manhole cover just outside the palace got a stale blast of sewage stench, and a few droplets too, as the forceful wall of air passed.

Without hesitation, Haider jumped in after it. The ground rumbled as he slammed his hand against the dirt wall above the tiles, then drew his hand away in a scooping motion, just like he'd done to Iden and Ara in the stairwell, but way bigger. A wall of earth slammed across the tunnel, breaking through the tiles and blocking it off completely. He beamed with pride. This, along with the other parts of the tunnel he'd blocked off beneath the palace, was the largest earthbending feat he'd ever managed. 

Iden had woken up and directed them to the best-placed manhole for their plan, but stayed mostly still otherwise, watching.

Haider climbed back up the ladder, while Dagon and the others started to load up nearly a truckload of wax bombs they'd gotten from the tanks and trucks, as well as some they'd found in a wall of the Stamping Press. Apparently there had been a Plan B, if the water didn't douse the flames. All things considered, Dagon believed they were very lucky the water had stopped them.

"Assembly line, move in!" Dagon whispered harshly. The man at the front of the line with a nose piercing looked familiar, but he couldn't put his finger on it.

He shrugged. Nobody wanted to be the front of the line anyway. The rest of the designated assembly line, four other people, moved to their positions. One at the bottom of the ladder, to catch the wax bombs that Maita would drop in after lighting them, one in the water for him to pass them to, one about ten paces down to catch and pass, another ten paces further, and nose piercing guy at the end, to pop the bombs through the small hole Haider had left, and throw them into the other side.

The riskiest part here was dropping the bombs down the hole to the first guy. If they hit the walkway, or hit the ladder, or if he dropped one and it cracked open and lit right there… it wasn't a risk they were going to take. That's why they'd decided to pass the rest along through the water, to eliminate the risk of a bomb hitting solid ground..

"Are we a go?" Maita called down.

The man at the end gave the thumbs up, which was reciprocated by each person along the assembly line.

"First one." Maita called, lighting the first wax bomb and sealing off the bottom. The thick layer of wax around the flame she'd just lit ensured there was about two minutes before it went off. The outermost layer contained a large amount of gunpowder, which the flame would reach at the end of those two minutes. One hundred twenty seconds. They were trying to get it done in ninety seconds to be safe.

Everyone on the surface held their breath each time she dropped a wax ball below, since the boy at the bottom had to catch it perfectly.

Dagon was counting off the time out loud. As soon as he reached sixty seconds, they heard a _crack_ from below.

The boy at the bottom paled, and everyone held their breath. He'd dropped one, and it was cracked but not open yet, the two halves held together because it'd dropped between his feet.

Maita jumped into action without hesitation. "Hold still, you're okay." She said in such a genuine voice, she could've convinced a squirrel toad in a pythonaconda's mouth that it was safe. She descended the ladder and put both hands on the bomb, raising it carefully from between the shaking boy's feet. She breathed a small bit of heat around the cracks to seal it, but that meant they had far less time before it burned through the wax. She handed it to the boy. "Hold this with both hands, and climb the ladder. Don't put your hands on the ladder, I got you."

He started to climb the ladder and she pressed herself against his back, using her arms in place of his, to climb in tandem until Dagon reached down and took the bomb from him. He passed it off to someone else, who ran to the edge of the street and chucked it into the woods, where it exploded moments later.

The boy from the ladder was still shaking, so Maita jumped back down. Dagon was still counting, their slip-up costing them twenty whole seconds. They should be done by now.

"We can get more, c'mon!" Maita urged. Dagon lit more and dropped them to her, and she passed them along the assembly line.

They got through an impressive amount in that twenty seconds, but by the time Dagon reached one hundred seconds, he stopped. "No more. Get out."

"We're done!" Maita called down the line, waiting at the bottom of the ladder to make sure everyone got up.

Dagon grabbed each person's hand as they reached the top, pulling them far away from the hole and sending them sprinting for the trees. Everyone else, including Ennis, had gone past the trees now, heading for the beach, just to be safe.

Still in the sewer, Maita's blood ran cold when the last man stepped away from the wall. All the wax bombs floated away from where he'd cornered them in the water. None of them had made it through the hole. He grinned at her.

"Traitor!" Maita shouted to alert everyone as she scrambled up the ladder. She surfaced, and Dagon grabbed her forearms protectively while she huffed, "None of the bombs went through. Last guy…"

She didn't need to say the rest. Without hesitation, the elder man who'd been helping slid to the hole and dropped down the ladder.

"Kazen!" Dagon shouted. "What are you-- there's nothing you can do, we need to get out-- _oof!_ " He was cut off by a small figure shoving past him and diving for the ladder headfirst.

Kazen jumped off the ledge into the water and started collecting wax bombs as they tried to float away. They were already hot to the touch, burning quickly through the layers of wax. He felt a strike in his back and lost his balance, taking a mouthful of water. As he righted himself, the man with the dark ponytail and nose piercing shoved the wax bombs out of his hands and threw them further down the tunnel, away from Haider's wall.

Iden appeared headfirst at the top of the ladder. She crawled quickly and about halfway down, she grabbed the ladder near her waist with one hand and rotated her body around like a clock until her feet reached the ladder below her. Despite the perfect tactical maneuver she just pulled off, the grip of her left hand weakened and she fell the remaining few feet to the water with a small yelp.

Ponytail used the distraction and tried to punch Kazen's throat, which Kazen managed to duck away from. As he came back up, he looked the man in the eyes. "Ryshi? My former student? Is that you?"

Ponytail frowned in confusion, and looked at him closer. "What? I don't know who you are, old man."

Kazen used _that_ distraction to shoot a perfect laser from his fingertips at the man's eye, instantly burning a hole into his left eye. Ponytail screamed and stepped back, curling over and protecting his face with both hands.

Kazen laughed. "Oh, now I remember. Ryshi was my pet catagator." He took full advantage of the man's instinctual defense position and went straight for the pressure points on his back.

Iden pushed off the bottom of the sewer and shook her head quickly to get the crap away from her eyes. Dagon and Maita were shouting from the street above, but they were both shouting for Kazen. Neither of them probably cared what happened to her anyway.

She started gathering a group of wax bombs as they floated toward her and tried to catch them all in her small wingspan. Fortunately most of them were still clumped up near the wall. Unfortunately, of course, they were probably seconds away from blowing up. She pushed through the water as fast as possible and managed to get a melting wax ball through the small hole in the wall. Then another, and another, ignoring the elder man's fight with the ponytailed-traitor.

Kazen had the man chi blocked in a few seconds flat, but this man seemed to have much more control over his limbs while chi blocked. And using a lot of firebending down here could cause the bombs floating around them to melt faster. It was down to a one-on-one fistfight. Ponytail was clearly trying to stop Iden, and Kazen played goalkeeper.

Dagon silently reached one-twenty in his head and pushed away from the hole, lost. His last shout for Kazen still echoed down the tunnel, but he knew his old teacher had no interest in dying of old age anyway. Haider and Maita hesitantly stood and started walking Dagon away, to safety.

Just as they crossed the street, there was a deep rumble and a muffled _crack_ from the tunnel. The first bomb had gone off, which would melt the wax and ignite the rest, especially fueled by sewage gas.

Iden had gotten an incredible amount of bombs through the hole in just over ten seconds. By the time she heard Kazen shouting to her, she'd run out of bombs within her reach.

"Get out of the water!" He shouted to her, close enough now to grab her arm but she'd thought he was shouting at Ponytail.

Ponytail lunged at her and grabbed her shirt, pulling her underwater while Kazen tried to separate the two. In the darkness, a hand wrapped around her throat and then without warning, let go. Kazen pushed her to the surface.

She saw Ponytail reaching for the ledge now, seeing that nothing else could be done. In a few seconds flat, he was near the top of the ladder.

Kazen boosted her up onto the ledge and they realized what was happening. Ponytail was blocking the ladder so neither of them could make it out, but he could.

There was a second rumble as another bomb behind the wall went off. Iden briefly saw her life flash before her eyes, but it still wasn't enough to flashover yet. She still accepted that this is where she was going to die.

Kazen turned to her, gently but firmly placing a hand on her shoulder so he knew she was listening. "Step back. Don't touch the ladder until I'm off of it. Understand?"

She nodded even though she knew they were both about to die with a flash of heat against her back. Each second the heat didn't flash felt unnatural, like she should be dead already.

She watched Kazen reach out to grab the metal ladder and start climbing… but he didn't climb. A moment later, the entire ladder crackled and lit up a shockingly bright blue. With the loudest _crack_ she's ever heard, Ponytail dropped from the top of the ladder, charred and smoking. He landed on Kazen, who was already charred as well, and they both hit the water, motionless. The scent reached Iden's nose, and she swallowed vomit as she numbly grabbed the ladder, just as Kazen instructed.

Following a crack and flash of blue from the sewer hole, there was another rumble, but this time it didn't stop. Dagon kept looking back, feeling responsible. He was about to take off when he saw a pale hand reach out onto the street.

He sprinted back and grabbed the hand, pulling as hard as he could, but he felt the heat as Haider's wall burst and a flash of flames and superheated air washed through the tunnel, with Iden only halfway out.

He dragged her out quickly enough, and Haider and Maita ran back to help carry her, moving away from the land directly above the tunnel, still looking for Kazen.

But their attention was quickly drawn elsewhere as the palace itself, looming tall just beyond the wall, lit up yellow for a brief moment before the sound and heatwave reached them. Haider raised up another wall, but the "impenetrable" palace wall itself, designed to keep lowlifes like them out, was more than solid enough to protect them from the direct heat and shrapnel that shot away from the grand building.

The street around them lit up like daytime, and the shimmer of heated air fell over the nearby buildings. Haider began to laugh, bordering on a pyromaniac delirium, as chunks of priceless statues and architecture fell from the sky.

And something else started to drift down through the air like snow… half-burned flakes of paper money.

Maita started to wonder if a nearby barn had blown up too, since the faint smell of burned meat reached her nose, but she threw up a bit in her mouth when she realized it was Iden's legs. The remaining fabric of her uniform pants seemed to be fused to her skin now. Thankfully, she appeared to be unconscious.

They couldn't actually see the palace burning, but they could tell by the entire surrounding neighborhood washed in daylight, that they had more than done their job.

Despite their losses, Dagon weakly held up an open palm. Haider and Maita each slapped a high-five, and the three of them rested back against the palace wall to wait for the blaze to cool enough for them to leave.

~//~


	61. F: Burning Battleship

Suley laughed at Ara. "I should be mad that you sent the Avatar away, but without any Fire Nation citizens to save, I think my job is done, don't you? The residents of New Yelsu have that land to themselves, whether the Avatar is dead or alive. Whether I'm dead or alive."

Ara shook his head and stepped forward, not even listening. A different kind of fire raged in his eyes, while the wooden deck of the battleship caught fire around them. "I still don't understand why you snapped." He said.

"Why I what?" Suley spat blood from his mouth, his bloody left eyeball still hanging down his cheek.

"You were totally normal before Mom walked out. And you were still normal, albeit a bit more hardened, before Dad died. But after that… what happened?"

"I don't have time for this." Suley swept an arm down and raised the other high, sweeping dust and dirt together quickly to the point of combustion, to send black fire at Ara.

But Ara made the same motion and countered it. He stopped the dirt and dust with just as much strength, and after a minute or two of struggling, the resulting compressing force on the particles caused a minor explosion, knocking them both back.

They were on their feet again in seconds.

"GO AHEAD. Give me whatever scolding you're gonna give, insult me with whatever you want, it doesn't matter because my citizens are officially free. The New Yelsu Nation can finally thrive, without threats."

Ara thrust his pointed hand toward the ocean, where broken and burned ship pieces floated, few lifeboats bobbed, and hundreds of citizens still treaded on the water, not even wasting their energy crying for help anymore. "This is genocide, Suley. You took their lives away. You can't just pick and choose, that's not freedom."

"Don't fucking tell me what freedom is. You know nothing about leading a nation!"

Ara stepped fearlessly up to him and grabbed his collar, looking him in the eye. "I won't. I didn't really plan on having a conversation anyway." He moved his hand up to Suley's throat. "You better pray that she's alive, or I will wake you from your grave and kill you eight times over again. Understand?"

"Just to be clear, are we talking about the Avatar or--"

"OUR SISTER!"

Suley seemed drunk. He took his time. "You realize, by that logic, if she is alive, at some point you'll probably end up killing her eight times over, right?"

Ara snorted a frustrated laugh. "I don't get how you can see people so two-dimensionally. You know people are more than the single trait you associate them with, right?"

"Yes, of course I see it now. You're lazy and pissy. What a catch."

Ara felt heat rising behind him and brought his free hand down to stop whatever fire Suley was trying to stir up, but the orange flames reached his ankles and he realized it wasn't Suley. The fire had nearly engulfed the battleship by now, and the heat was starting to corner them.

And yet, when he let go of Suley's throat, Suley reached out for some remaining dust and dirt around their feet and started to swirl it.

Ara fought it right back. Giving Suley control over where the fire is aimed would mean death.

But they both already knew what conflicting fuelbending would do. And they did it anyway, struggling for a few more minutes, both of them too stubborn to let go.

Ara grit his teeth with effort. "By the way, having control over currency distribution does not make you an equal in your society, it makes you a bureaucrat. We know about your little money printing operation in the Stamping Press, and it's probably on fire as we speak."

Suley laughed, the veins in his neck straining. "That's cute. Thinking we kept all our money in the Stamping Press. But I'm sure your friends are having fun anyw--"

He was cut off by a massive blast, this time from half a mile inland. They both stopped bending and looked over in time to see the iconic Fire Lord's palace burst open in a bright yellow cloud, speckled by debris and rupturing the ground beneath it, dirt shooting into the air as if the earth itself were splashed water. It almost seemed like overkill, even for something as fortified as a palace.

Suley paled and his jaw dropped.

Ara took in his expression and smiled. "Let me guess, you kept the rest of the money in the… palace?"

But Suley took Ara's smug moment and whipped up the black fire, striking Ara with the heat and rocks, sending him tumbling back and landing in real fire.

~//~


	62. F: Avatar

Roh knew her mother and grandmother had been on the first boat, and she knew from the vision that Kota was also in the water, but she had no idea where. And she could hardly think straight over all the nagging voices in the water below.

"Shut up, all of you, for fuck's sake I can't think!" She grumbled to no one in particular.

She vaguely registered that something inland blew up. 

If she saved everyone in the water, she would also save her family and Kota, because they're also in the water, right? Now Roh was running through every possible way to save everyone in the water.

She'd tried swooping low and blowing air across, trying to create a giant wave, but it had no effect. She'd thought of everything:

Drying up the water with fire wouldn’t work, for many obvious reasons.

Sending a giant wave ashore would just drag more people back with it and probably be very violent, which would probably be funny but would also defeat the point.

Parting the water so people could walk to shore would only help those who could walk, and she'd seen Kota floating face-down.

She even considered bending the wind in a big circle, creating a funnel, and have the bottom of the funnel drain into an underwater air bubble along the ground. But that would only help mobile people too, and probably send a lot of debris flying at high speeds, potentially killing her mother, grandmother, or Kota.

Even if she could waterbend, she had no idea what to do.

She hovered on the dragon over the farthest-out people and debris, facing the shore.

It was impossible. There was nothing she could do. She just had to sit here and watch everyone drown, waiting for her family to die. She would sit here doing nothing, and get away with it.

She herself, was going to get away with it.

Suddenly the dragon seemed to have somewhere more important to be. It jerked to a start and Roh lost her balance, tumbling off its thin body and into the freezing dark water.

Now she was just another drowning body in the sea. The water filled her ears, nose, and mouth. She made no effort to swim back to the surface. Roh's mother, grandmother, Maita, and Kota. The four people who provided for her. Three of them about to drown. Without them, what would she possibly be? She's never had to exist without them before. If the world was about to rob her of her family, then she would rob the world of the Avatar.

She let the water fill her lungs. Whatever was going to happen, would happen.

As she opened her eyes in the dark murky water, she caught a flash of Rya's angry face.

~

Something glowed beneath the water. Two beams of blue-white light that reached through the darkness of the water, illuminating thousands of bodies, before it burst through the surface.

The Avatar's eyes glowed as she rose in a swirl of water, her own body suspended within in the ghostly outline of Avatar Rya. Their eyes glowed as one, and their arms raised up, fists clenched, before their hands splayed wide, palms facing down at the sea.

Two white spiderweb-like splotches expanded over the water, shooting outward and stilling the waves. The spots spread quickly, branching off and catching each other like firing neurons. Soon, the entire stretch of ocean where people were spread out was encased in ice, less than two feet thick beneath the water. Every person, body, piece of debris, frozen in its last position within those two feet of ice.

Rya-Roh lifted their arms, and the entire section of ice raised itself from the sea. The gap that it left caused waves beneath them to crash together violently, but everyone was suspended above it in impossible stillness.

Rya-Roh's swirl of water carried them toward the shore, to the left of the city, levitating the ice sheet with them. Glowing eyes illuminating the shore, the Avatars brought the sheet of ice down on the expansive farming fields adjacent to the city, and released the freezing grip, turning everything back to water as it settled down onto the open fields.

Excess water rushed down the drainage slopes, the fields still soppy and damaged. But everyone was above water now.

The only thing their ice hadn't encompassed was a flaming battleship near the shore.

Rya disappeared, the glow left Roh's eyes, and she dropped into the raging sea, barely conscious and with no strength left.

~//~


	63. F: Aftermath

Haider, Dagon, and Maita carrying Iden managed to escape the heat and get to their bison. They were in the air when they saw Roh's Avatar State.

As Roh fell back to the water, Maita grabbed the reins and flew after her.

Dagon had seen something on the beach illuminated by the Avatar's glowing eyes, and he saw it again as they flew past the beach toward Roh.

The bison landed in the water and Maita jumped out, pulling her sister from the water once again, although it was a little harder to get her on to a bison than a boat. She pulled Roh onto the bison's flat tail, and the bison lifted his tail to do the rest of the work, sliding them back to the saddle.

Roh looked mostly unconscious, but she mumbled a little when Maita slapped her face. Gently, of course.

Haider grabbed the reins.

"They have healers at the top of the hill there, with the other airbenders." Maita directed.

"Wait. Drop me off." Dagon demanded.

"What? Where?"

"Right here, on the beach." He pointed below. A large dark figure lay on the sand, and a glowing spirit sat curled up next to it. As they got closer, they realized it was two figures.

Dagon jumped out, landing roughly on the sand. He tried to keep his cool but ended up running toward the figures. One had a familiar star pattern on the back of his shirt, and based on that, Dagon could probably guess who the other one was.

The bison lifted off again, in search of a healer for Roh and Iden.

~

Dagon slowed as he approached. There were no lights around, and he kept his eyes trained on the glowing deer spirit. He must have startled it though, because it disappeared as he got close.

The boy was closer, and he could see the other figure's hair well enough to know exactly who they both were.

They didn't look very alive though.

Dagon dropped to his knees and ran a hand over the boy's back, then the girl's, checking for responsiveness, and also checking to make sure he wasn't hallucinating. He checked the boy's neck and found it cold and clammy, with no pulse.

Trying not to process that, he leapt to the other side and reached for Kota's neck. He quickly drew his hand back when his fingers touched two scabbed lines of dark red. His own heart rate quickened as he tried to piece together what possibly could've happened. He rolled Kota onto her back and checked her wrist for a pulse.

He nearly collapsed with relief when he found one. He brought her hand to his mouth as if the pulse would escape if he let it get cold. He watched her chest rise and fall, the comparatively still boy next to her, and bit his lip in a futile effort to keep back tears.

As if the warming of her hand had caught her attention, Kota's eyes fluttered a bit, then opened, first looking at Jaso, then a pause before she recognized Dagon. She propped herself up on one elbow and took her hand back from Dagon, reaching over and trying to shake Jaso awake. "He's okay." She told Dagon.

Dagon drew in a deep, shaky breath. She began to nudge Jaso. He wasn't sure if he should stop her.

She looked back at Dagon. "He's okay. He was just okay a minute ago…"

Every time she's seen Dagon cry, he covers his face with his hands, takes short breaths, and silent tears fall. And she's pretty sure she's the only one who's ever seen him cry.

But now she watched his face break into a short open-mouthed sob, with no attempt at covering anything. The sight alone made her heart clench painfully, and the implications hurt worse than anything Metalman's ever done.

"No, that's not-- no I'm telling you, I just saw him breathing-- no it's… no."

Dagon forced his thoughts to the sibling he thought he'd lost, rather than the one he just had. He let himself feel relief at finding her alive, though he'd never imagined this kind of relief would feel so tainted. Tainted because while he at least had one thing to hold onto, he knew she had nothing right now.

He pulled her into his arms and held on tight.

~

Ara had fought Suley's fuelbending once more. They both knew it would explode. Both of them were willing to give their life to see the other fall. Ara just happened to be in the right place. Maybe it was luck, maybe something else. But when their combined bending did explode, the fire had already reached them. The force of the blow tossed Suley backward, stumbling down the stairs awkwardly on his neck, and into the bridge, which was already engulfed in flames.

Ara had taken the brunt of the explosion, which tossed him into the air. As he prepared for impact on the fiery deck, the red dragon swooped under him and he clung on for dear life.

While the Avatar lit up the entire coast with light and ice, the dragon brought Ara to the top of a hill, where at least a hundred infants and toddlers rolled around, mostly oblivious, supervised by a handful of airbenders. Three healers who'd been on the boat were working their butts off with child victims, of both burning and drowning, which was clearly taking a toll on them.

Ara just sprawled onto the grass.

Looking up at the stars.

Trusting that the Avatar got his sister somewhere safe.

Wondering if he should or shouldn't feel bad about killing his brother.

On one hand, it needed to be done, and Ara wanted to be the one to deliver it. Payback for years of abuse. On the other hand… prison woulda worked too. Now Ara might have a bounty on his head.

But all that was pushed aside when he recognized the small, burned form in Roh's arms… No, it wasn't Roh, but it looked like her… honestly, he didn't care how many Rohs there were. He followed the person, who approached a busy healer with confidence, and set the small form down in front of her.

Ara dropped to his knees at Iden's feet, taking in the sight. The healer started to work her glowing water over Iden's legs first, and Ara brought his hand to his mouth without even realizing it. She looked far worse than when he'd handed her off, if that was even possible.

The Rohs who brought her over had left. After less than a minute of work, the healer drew her hands away. Iden stirred.

"There's nothing life-threatening here." The healer declared. "I really need to move on."

Ara picked up his sister and brought her to a darker, quieter area of the hill. He held her close, but she stirred more and rolled out of his lap, drawing in short, sharp breaths against the grass as she returned to consciousness.

"Hey." He offered gently, not sure what she needed.

She could barely speak between breaths. "Stop."

"Stop what?"

"Everything hurts. Please."

He rubbed her back. "The healer's busy. I know it hurts. You'll be okay, she said it's nothing life-threatening."

"That's the problem!" Iden hissed. With her shaking good hand, she reached over and opened his shirt pocket, where she knew he kept a few capped dart tips.

"Iden, no. That could make you worse--" He tried to grab it from her but she ended up stabbing him in the palm.

They both just stared at each other for a moment.

"Aw, fuck." Ara quickly located a comfortable-looking tree and dragged her over. He leaned against the tree trunk and held her, with her head resting against his stomach. He knew he couldn't stop her anyway, so he just let her grab another dart tip and stab herself.

He got comfortable, watching the sunrise, and waited for it to kick in. "Man, we really are a couple 'a dumbasses, aren't we?"

"It's a miracle we made it this far." She mumbled back.

~//~


	64. F: Washed Up

Roh didn't need healing. She woke up pretty soon after she was pulled from the water, just the lingering effects of the uncontrolled Avatar State leaving her tired. Although in a sense, the Avatar State was somewhat controlled by the spirit of Avatar Rya, so Roh wasn't quite as tired as she might've been.

After dropping off Iden and confirming Roh was fine, she, Maita, and Haider did a fly-over of the fields to see the damage.

The fields were sopping wet, as expected. It was hard to tell if people were muddy or bloody, or if they were stumbling because of an injury or because the ground was uneven. Rather than a march of survivors, it seemed more like a displaying of the dead. Debris littered the fields, and bodies in all positions. Some bodies charred beyond recognition, some lone arms, legs and torsos. The sun slowly rose on those who held the bodies of loved ones they knew would never wake up.

But some people were reuniting. Sobbing with joy as they held one another, or trudging eagerly up the hill knowing the airbenders had saved their child.

She didn't care about these people and she considered it a waste of time. For the first time though, she wanted to care. She watched Maita tear up at a reunion of complete strangers below. Several shouts of gratefulness and thanks to the Avatar reached them.

She's never been envious of her sister being able to feel the full range of emotions, except for the sake of trying to blend in. But she watched Maita soak up the love people were sending up to them, watched Haider wave happily at those below.

Roh never felt good just because someone else felt good, or bad because someone else felt bad. Hell, half the time she struggled to tell if someone was actually sad or not.

But these people below her spent their own energy to tell her that they wanted her to feel good about them feeling good. They wanted her to feel that way. So she tried to feel it.

But ultimately, she just felt like they were wasting time. Ennis had circled the fields below and didn't pick up any scent of Kota. Now they were scanning the fields for her mother and grandmother, but she was honestly more interested in what Dagon had found on the beach.

Someone below waved their arms for help. Roh wasn't even looking anymore, everyone below was wasting her time, even though they'd only been flying for a few minutes.

Maita lowered the bison, hovering it just above the ground so it wouldn't get stuck in the mud. But Roh perked right up when she heard Maita shout "Mom!"

Roh jumped to the ground on a burst of air and hugged her mother tightly before Maita could get to her. Maita just attached herself to the side of their hug.

"My babies." Their mother sobbed, a combination of relief and dismay.

As they stepped back, Maita took the initiative. She took a deep breath and said, "Where's Gram?"

By that point though, the girls already knew the answer.

After getting no response, Maita pulled her mother closer. "It's okay. We're gonna be okay."

~

Less than a minute later, they landed on the beach where they'd left Dagon. Roh could already see his form, holding someone else, and someone lying next to them. She sprinted over, faster than she ever had.

"Ko!" She choked out when she saw her friend, most definitely alive. "How are you here? How are you… holy shit. Are you okay?"

Kota rolled off Dagon's lap and into Roh's arms. "I just wanna go home." She mumbled into Roh's shoulder. She clung to her tightly.

Dagon was left cold, looking up at Maita, Haider, and the girls' mother who had walked over. He brought his knees to his chest, his hip still pressed against the boy's cold body.

Maita was about to ask who the boy was, but thought better of it. Dagon could sense the question on her lips anyway, and his composure broke all over again. He covered his face.

For a moment, the dawn air was calm, but heavy with questions no one wanted to ask and answers no one wanted to tell.

The splashing of the breaking waves behind them seemed to draw closer for a moment. Dagon looked out, and his eyes widened.

Crawling out of the waves was a man in tattered, burned clothes, missing a shoe, more burns on his upper body and scalp, and his left eyeball hanging down his cheek. He clutched a splintered piece of wood in his fist and stumbled to his feet, seawater pouring out of his clothes.

Everyone turned and watched him in shock.

"Get her to safety." Maita whispered to Haider, gently pushing her mother toward the bison. Haider nodded and took the woman's hand, hastily leading her down the beach, even though it was clear she was conflicted on wanting to stay and protect her daughters.

Roh held Kota tighter. _Nobody_ was going to take her away this time, as if something feral had been triggered. She didn't care about anything else in the world.

But Suley walked right up to Maita. "You think you bested me, Avatar? You think killing me would stop my citizens?" His words were as unstable as his legs.

Maita let it happen. She knew she was in better condition than Roh to take on a fight. She stood her ground. "I'm sorry." She paused. "Sorry I didn't finish you the first time."

Without warning, he lunged at her, his unstable legs finally giving way, and she tried to side-step him but he still snagged her by the neck, bringing her down from behind with the wooden bar. He pressed the wooden bar across her neck, and she let out a choked sound as he pressed on both sides of the bar, trying to make her neck flat with the ground. 

She reflexively tried to kick but it was no use since he was behind her head. The lack of bloodflow quickly took the fight out of her, air not circulating, signals not sending. Flashing black spots took over her vision, even as she fought to see.

The last thing she saw was Dagon standing behind Suley, putting his hands on the sides of the man's head. The heating technique the rebels had invented. The one that cooks someone's brain, but it takes several minutes to have an effect. Idiot! She knew she didn't have that kind of time. Finally, her vision blacked out.

Dagon stepped behind Suley. Suley wasn't touching Maita besides the bar, and Dagon had another idea. He planted his feet firmly in the sand, then pressed his palms against the side of Suley's head, closing his eyes and exhaling calmly.

A lightning bolt shot between his hands, bouncing through the man's skull and vibrating through Dagon himself, looking for grounding. It reached the ground through Suley, and a moment later, Dagon and Suley collapsed to the ground.

Maita was untouched by the charge, but still didn't know what had happened. As her neck was released, bloodflow returned painfully to her brain, and it was another few moments before her vision returned. She saw Dagon on the ground, hands smoking. Next to him was Suley, head smoking and looking like a piece of cooked meat.

Kota escaped Roh's arms turned Dagon over but didn't check for a pulse. The thought of losing another sibling tonight was absolutely too much to grasp.

After gaining strength, Maita crawled forward and touched Dagon's neck, but she didn't need to. His eyes opened and he started to sit up on his own, holding his chest. "Did it work?" He croaked.

Kota gently smacked him on the shoulder. "You shot lightning through someone's fucking _head_ , of course it worked!"

"Not taking any chances." He said. He looked over at Maita. "You look like you need a healer."

"Thanks, you too."

He couldn't hide a weak grin, and struggled to his feet. Maita was able to stand on her own, and she started walking toward the bison. Haider met her halfway and supported her on one side. Roh helped Kota to her feet, and she tested her bad ankle. It was walkable.

But as the other two began to walk away, Kota stayed planted. "Dage, we can't just leave him here." Her voice broke, looking down at her little brother.

He'd been thinking the same thing. He knelt down, but was still weak from the lightning going through his body. Roh understood her place. She picked up Jaso and walked alongside the other two.

Although it was a short walk, Roh had hoped that something inside her would change in that short time, seeing her best friend's brother in her arms, dead, and maybe gain an appropriate amount of empathy for the child who meant so much to the person she loved.

She tried. She looked at his face. She let the rolodex of emotions in her mind spin. Maybe it would land on crying, or sad, or fearful. But it simply didn't land. He was just weight in her arms.

~//~


	65. Highroad

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "There is no Fire Lord."

Just up the hill from the fields where Avatar Roh had set down the plate of ice, was an access road. The farmer's houses were further up the hill, and the road had been untouched by the flowing waves when the ice was released.

Pulling his feet out of the muck with every step, Amiron finally dragged himself up to the road.

Suley was not authorized to do this. Torpedoes and explosions had never been in the plans. Blowing up the palace was unthinkable. Not to mention Amiron's own life had been in danger. There was going to be hell to pay, that's for sure.

Flinging water off his robes, Amiron started the trek down the road towards the Naval Base, where Suley had been operating out of.

The access road widened out into a main road just beyond the trees that separated the fields. Out in the open now, he could see the entire harbor. No part of the passenger ships were visible anymore, and a sinking, flaming battleship lit up a small area of the water. And there weren't many people around…

He jumped to a stop when a group of Residents stepped into the road, blocking his path. "Look who it is."

"Is that the Fire Lord?" Someone mocked.

"Just who we were looking for."

Amiron tried to gather his composure despite his soaking, muddy robes. "You will bow before me."

"We will? That's news to us."

He noted the small emblem on their vests. "Residents of New Yelsu, I see. If you don't, you won't get paid. Simple as that."

"Oh, this?" Someone held up a hand of burned paper money. "We didn't question why your face was on this before, but now that we saw how much of this you were hoarding in your palace, I'm starting to think you weren't really leaving the Fire Nation at all."

"That money is worthless. We'll be printing new money and if you obey me right now, I'll make sure you get a cut of the new currency."

Another guy stepped forward. "Oh I see. Because your stash blew up, ours doesn't count anymore. If my house blew up with all my money inside, you'd say 'oh well, too bad', right? But because you're the one without money now, we ALL have to start over."

"No, because the government needs to control the currency, that's how government works!" Amiron realized his slip up too late.

"Government!?" 

"I though New Yelsu was 'free from oppressive and controlling governments'?"

"You are! You are free! I s-- you're completely right, I'll make sure there's nobody controlling-- and you'll get money, I swear!"

The first man grabbed Amiron's collar. "I'll maybe believe that when I hear it from Suley himself. Either way, you're not supposed to have anything to do with this."

A different woman stepped forward and laughed. "You wronged your citizens on the boats by making them think you're on their side. You wronged everyone back on land by acting like the government was overthrown when really, you and Suley's stupid idea of a secret government is just a shady rip-off of the oppressive Earth Kingdom. You can't keep wronging people and expect anyone to still be on your side!"

"Yeah, I'm quite familiar with a nice little "holding cell" under the police station… We'll let the people decide what to do with you next, not the government."

"What?"

Someone shoved him to the ground and tied a rope around his wrists.

"What are you doing! I'm the Fire Lord!"

"There is no Fire Lord."

~//~


	66. Hill

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Who's got your back when it counts?

The bison touched down at the top of the hill. Roh still held Jaso, unsure what to do. Was she supposed to be crying over him? Was she supposed to hug him? This is really uncharted territory.

She didn't need to worry anyway, since Kota and Dagon were avoiding looking at him. In fact, they were avoiding looking anywhere. They should be scanning the hilltop, which was crawling with children. The airbenders had saved hundreds, easily. Their younger brothers and sisters might be among them. Did they make it? The answer was _right there._

But they weren't looking. Kota stared at a spot on the bison's saddle while Dagon stared at his knee.

Maita carefully took his hand. She was still holding her head cautiously in one position, as if moving her neck made it worse. If it wasn't clear before, it was now: she needed a healer.

Roh just watched them leave quietly.

Haider, surprisingly, took the initiative and held Kota's hand the way Maita had. He stood her up and led her off the bison, drawing up a slope from the earth to ease their way down.

What looked like reunions from above turned out to be chaos. Children who could walk were moving far too much to get a good headcount or find someone in particular. Crying infants and toddlers weren't picked up by their parents yet, and at this point it seemed plausible they never would be. 

Parents who'd climbed up from the fields shouted names over and over, to the point where Roh wanted to shout the name back in their face to prove how annoying they sounded.

Roh watched her mother take in the scene. It was especially painful as someone who takes care of children for a living. She couldn't sit by. She climbed off the bison and moved into the crowd of children, trying to see what she could do to help.

Roh stayed with Jaso. She wanted to try something…

Someone quickly advanced on Kota from behind and grabbed her by the shoulders, pulling her from Haider's grasp. She opened her mouth to let out a surprised scream, but realized who it was. Taatu clung to her like a lifeline, because mere hours ago she literally had been. She turned around and hugged him back, almost as tight as he held her, overwhelmingly glad to see he was up and moving.

And his scars, bloody scab necklaces, matched hers of course. It was jarring to realize she looked like him. It _was_ noticeable.

"Back away from her or you'll wish you were never born." A rough voice growled.

Kota held her hand up. "Hade, it's okay. It's okay." The second one was for Taatu.

Haider relaxed from his fighting stance.

The hug seemed to pull Kota back from wherever she was in her mind. She turned around and looked at the crowd of children around them. A few airbenders were triaging the injured near the healers, and others were on bison flying over the field, grabbing more survivors.

But as the sky grew lighter, Kota and Dagon had definitively searched through every child twice. Reunions were happening all around them as more parents arrived and more children were swept up by a loved one, held tightly, and whisked away toward the center of town where the airbenders and some rebels had secured the convention center for people to gather, and figure out what to do next.

Looking around, Kota again tried to force away the image of Jaso face-down in the water. If he was in that bad of shape when the bison got around to him, why would she think the younger kids were better off? And the fact that Jaso was there at all was proof her family had been on the ship.

Taatu didn't know who she was looking for but clearly she wasn’t finding it. He clung closer to her arm and Haider stuffed his hand in his pocket, knowing that if Kota started crying, he would too. They came around to Dagon and Maita again, who were equally numb. Maita had briefly been to one of the healers, who pushed something in her neck that had been out of place, and she no longer had to struggle to take a breath, which she'd downplayed on the beach.

They all pretended to keep looking.

~

Still in the bison saddle, Roh was wringing out the water in her shirt, forming a small puddle. She tuned out everything else, attempting a meditative state, and focused only on the water. She'd just waterbent a whole chunk of the ocean, right? Surely she could get this little bit to move, and maybe, just maybe she also happened to be a healer and use her Avatar powers or something to heal this kid. Even though a regular healer couldn't.

~

Through the mess of parents and kids, they didn't see him coming.

Kota and Dagon silently gave up their separate searches and found each other again. They didn't admit any sort of defeat, they didn't hug, and they didn’t cry. They just took it in.

They knew going into this that the couple hundred children on the hilltop were definitely not all the kids that had been on the massive ships. Plenty of lives had been lost, that was pretty clear. The fact that any of them survived should be celebrated.

But still. That was their _whole family._

And Kota was making note of the fact that Roh wasn't here supporting her. She didn't even care to wonder where Roh was, the fact is that she should be here with her girlfriend right now. She'd already ignored her friends enough tonight, being the Savior of the People rather than the savior of her family. Roh had basically let her and Jaso drown, let Maita get strangled, let everything bad thing happen to her friends and family but still came out unscathed herself.

At first, Kota thought it wasn't like Roh at all to try and save so many people even though it meant sacrificing her friends. But now that she thought about it, it was _exactly_ like Roh. To sacrifice something that wasn't hers in the first place.

Kota pushed her anger aside and looked up at Dagon. For a second, she thought she was seeing a ghost when she realized her father was standing right behind Dagon. Her face gave it away, because Dagon turned quickly and joined her hallucination.

Dagon jumped back in surprise, before regaining his composure and lining himself up at his sister's side. He wasn't sure what to make of the fact that he was standing there, very much alive. "Where is everyone? We were looking for the kids, and we can't…" He also couldn't bring himself to finish that sentence.

"They weren't on the boat." Their father's voice was gentle. "They're safe."

Nothing. _Nothing_ in the world could ever feel better to Kota and Dagon than hearing those words. There just is no comparison. It felt like they could lift off the ground and take full breaths again. He grabbed her hand at their sides for contact, making sure he wasn't hallucinating alone.

"What about Jaso?" Kota couldn't piece together why he was on the boat without them. Had she grabbed the wrong kid?

Their father's face fell. "I came here to look for him too. He ran away when I told him we're not going to the Earth Kingdom. He went out looking for you, you know that?" His aggression returned with the smoothest, perfected transition.

Dagon quickly squeezed Kota's hand to hold her back from saying anything. He was already trying to pin the blame on them with the loosest connection. To hear that Jaso had literally died next to her while she lived would break the man.

Haider stepped forward, unafraid. He roughly poked the small Resident emblem on the man's collar. "I thought we got rid 'a you traitors!"

Their father swatted the boy's hand away. "Considering Suley got rid of the rest of you, I'd say it's a pretty good time to be a "Traitor""

"How do you know it was Suley?" Dagon challenged.

"He told all of his _loyal_ followers to keep our families off the boats. I know better than to question why."

"The Residents knew this would happen!?" Haider burst, catching the attention of survivors nearby.

Their father grabbed Haider's shirt collar. "I'd shut the _hell up_ if I were you."

Haider just grinned. "You'd scream if you were me." He topped it off by licking the man's fingers that were holding him, causing him to release Haider and pull back quickly in disgust.

"Keep your fucking hands off him."

Everyone turned in surprise to see where that came from. Kota was no longer shivering from the cold, nor clung to Dagon and Taatu. She looked ready to enforce her words.

Their father ignored everything else and narrowed in on Kota. "You don't have one ounce of compassion, do you? Your own brother _died_ because he wanted to find _you._ Because you left without any trace and for reasons I can't fathom, he loved you more than anyone else. Not to mention you put everyone in danger by drawing attention to our whole family, who was interrogated, by the way. Even some of the little ones."

He grabbed her wrist but Kota wasn't cowering back this time. She tried to heat up her wrist to burn his hand. "I've been through far too much shit by now to fall for your accusations, no matter how convincing you try and sound. You're just a little monster under my bed compared to my real fears now. If you ever lay a hand on one of the other kids, I'll show up with an army at your door to make sure you never see them again, understand?" She'd actually gained some ground by stepping forward, forcing him back. Her arm wasn't heating up though, and he held his grip on her wrist.

He tried to act innocent. "I didn't come here to fight you, I'm trying to find my son."

"Then why are you holding my wrist?"

He let go, but the finger marks stayed, revealing just how tightly he'd been squeezing her. The white pattern from the deer spirit still marked her arm above the elbow.

"Get out. Go do what you came here for, and never _ever_ come near me and Dagon again."

He'd been calm but he lunged back at her, grabbing her arm right where he'd left off. "Don't you EVER talk to me that way! I tell _you_ what to do, understand? Not the other way around! Get that into your head, because it'll never change!" He grit his teeth so hard that Kota thought he might actually do damage to himself.

She didn't give up an inch of ground. "You know I can fight back, right?" She raised her voice a little, making sure he could hear her over the pure rage in his head.

"With what?" He scoffed. "Your little fists? Go ahead, I'll give you the first strike. Right there." He turned his cheek to let her punch him.

She raised her other hand, trying to light a flame in her palm. It didn't work, but she ignored that and turned it into a fist. "I'm a firebender, remember?"

His face paled slightly when he remembered that fact.

She pushed the energy from inside her out through her arms and feet, ready to throw flames and push herself back. But nothing happened.

No flames came out.

~

Waterbending was clearly not going to happen here. Roh thought the puddle moved once, but it turned out the bison was just yawning.

But she'd had one nagging idea in the back of her head. It was kinda horrifying and she'd never do it in front of someone else. But she was alone, and the kid was dead…

She glanced around to make sure nobody could see. She adjusted the boy so his mouth was open. Then placed one hand on Jaso's chest, and held one in the air over his head. Instead of pulling oxygen from someone's chest, what if she could reverse it?

She drew in a breath of her own, focusing only on that. Relaying air between her hands. Pushing instead of pulling. A move she'd mastered so early on, but just backward.

She could feel on the way over that the boy had a very weak pulse. He was comatose, and very, very near death. Roh wanted to protect Kota from losing her brother all over again. If she could somehow get Jaso breathing properly on his own, she _might_ tell Kota. But anything short of waking up and walking around would be useless to get her hopes up for.

After a few tries, Roh could feel the air she bent moving properly though his airways, and watched his chest rise and fall, by her own doing.

She had kinda been hoping this wouldn't work. Let sleeping dogs lie, or something she'd heard before. But color was returning to his skin. The pale blue-gray became pale pink, still sickly but perfusing nonetheless.

Roh let go of the air. And it kept going. He was breathing on his own.

With an annoyed groan, Roh scooped the boy up and jumped off the bison on a burst of air. But she stayed on the air. Hurrying over to the healers, she pushed air from her feet and glided past everyone else without ever touching the ground.

~

A burst of orange flame struck their father from the side. Dagon stepped in, prioritizing Kota's safety over whatever was blocking her bending.

The man let go of Kota's arm to cover his face in pain, but he'd been ready to retaliate. While his daughter stood there confused, he threw an angled punch at the side of her face, with no warning, and clearly no holding back.

Kota's whole body was turned from the force of the hit, so hard she blacked out for a moment, feeling the grass against her cheek before she could even process what had happened.

Dagon immediately struck back, finding new strength in the pure rage despite his weakened state from the lightning.

Taatu immediately dropped to Kota's side, and Maita knew this was a fight Dagon had to take on his own. And she knew he could handle this. Haider stayed back but knelt to the ground. Pressing his palm to the grass, occasionally shifting the ground beneath the man's feet as he tried to stay standing while Dagon threw hit after hit.

It wasn't long before Dagon was kneeling on his father's chest, hand around his throat. "I could kill you so easily right now." Dagon said with frightening calm, and a hint of desire.

"And leave all the kids without a father?"

"That's the only reason you're still alive. Did you enjoy that, just now? Because that is the last time you will EVER lay a hand on her, or me, or Kenja." He leaned back a bit, wanting to squeeze the hand around his throat tighter but he held back. "You're _poison._ " Dagon leaned in and spit on his father's eye, then got up and turned back to his sister.

Kota was sitting up, nose bleeding and face starting to swell, but she had other concerns. Her palm was up, face frowned in concentration.

Dagon and Haider joined the small circle around her.

"I don't know what's wrong." She muttered, shaking her hand over and over again. "I can't make a flame. I can't do anything."

"Were you chi blocked?" Haider asked.

"You're probably just exhausted."

Kota nodded, but she could tell it was deeper than that. She thought she'd just felt cold because she was in freezing water, but she felt the cold deeper now. Like a flame inside was out.

Surprising everyone, Kota stood up and marched over to her father, who was walking away. She grabbed his shoulder and turned him around, then punched him clear in the throat.

He doubled over for a second, and while he was down she kicked him in the stomach. "I SAID GET OUT!"

He struggled back to his feet. "I was _leaving_ , what the fuck was that for!? That wasn't fair!" He seemed like he wanted to hit back but was scared by this new attitude.

"Oh sorry, does it feel _bad_ to be attacked out of nowhere? Without warning? Not sure what you possibly could have done wrong? To get hit while you're already down? God, I can't imagine." She spit at him just like Dagon had, and walked away with new confidence in her stride. For one second, she turned and pretended to lunge at him again, faking him out, and he flinched away.

Even Dagon laughed at that one.

As Kota rejoined the group, she turned back one last time to see her father starting to get up and walk away. A sudden, strong breeze caught behind him and urged him along his way. It seemed a little too convenient…

Just as Kota put it together and started to turn, Roh hugged her from behind, wrapping her arms around her waist. "I saw that. That was badass."

Kota pried herself away and turned to face Roh. "Where the hell were you?"

Roh looked surprised. She couldn't read the emotion on Kota, and instinctively glanced to Maita for help. Maita and the others just stepped back to give her room. "What do you mean?"

"The past half hour. While I was looking for my brothers and sisters and reaching the conclusion that they were probably _dead_ , right after losing a brother… You were supposed to… hold my hand or something. Instead, I had to hold Haider's hand."

"Glad I could be so disappointing." Haider mumbled.

"It just seemed like it's the least you could do after saving everyone else. Just be there for me. For a few minutes."

Roh forced herself not to look at Maita. Work through this on her own. She knew Kota was mad. Probably. She wasn't sure why. It took a lot to make Kota upset, which is also why Roh had no idea how to identify and deal with this. And Kota being upset like this made Roh feel a little bit sick. She just wanted to hug her. "Um… oh."

"Where were you?" Kota's angry tone dropped away. It was just exhausted now.

"Um, I was with Jaso. And… I used airbending. It got-- he's breathing again. He's with the healers."

Kota's stomach sank. She _could not_ deal with another false hope tonight. Neither could Dagon. "You what?" She choked out.

"I promise." Roh held out her hand.

Kota looked down at the offering. Dirt-smudged and blood-stained, just like everyone tonight. But despite her anger, she knew without hesitation that she trusted Roh. Whatever the situation was with Jaso, she had to face it sooner or later.

She took Roh's hand.

~//~


	67. North Pole

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Epilogue

By the time Roh got back to the igloo, the falling snow had accumulated a bit over the mouth of the igloo. She carved it away with her mittens and pushed aside the crumbling layers of snow. She pulled out the snowbag and crawled into the small space, turning around to pull the snowbag back in place behind her. It was slightly warmer already inside the tunnel, and she rounded the corner and pushed aside the last snowbag.

She could already see Kota inside, still sitting on the bed in her heavy outdoor coat, just as she'd left her an hour ago before dinner.

Roh replaced the snowbag and started removing her own outer coats on the lower level. "You haven't moved?"

Kota just shook her head quickly. "S'cold."

"It's not that bad in here."

Kota just watched her. "Maybe for you, f-firebender." Her teeth chattered.

Roh finished removing her outdoor layers and was a bit cold for a moment, too. She instinctually started heating herself up, and hoped it might heat the room up too. "Oh." She stopped in front of Kota. "Well, the blankets are very insulating. Take your outdoor layers off and get under the covers. You can use me for heat."

She thought that might make Kota smile but she must've been truly freezing because she just shook quickly and stood up to take off the layers. Jumping from the impossible cold and shaking in her underlayers, Kota stripped down to her shorts and chestwrap, then dove under the thick, animal-skin-insulated covers of the soft bed. "It's still freaking c-c-coooold!" Kota complained.

Roh started stripping her extensive layers off too, and setting her mittens next to the fire to dry. "Well, it needs body heat first, give it a few minutes. What did everyone else do while I was meeting with the chiefs?"

"A bison came in this morning carrying a few other airbenders. They've set up a temporary Air Embassy in the Fire Nation Capital to help Dagon and Maita try and keep the peace and sort shit out. Sounds like hell if you ask me. Anyways, they came here to drop off a few more criticals for the master healers to deal with. They said Dagon and Maita are teaming up with the Fire Lord's estranged daughter, since she's technically the heir to the throne, if they decide to give the monarchy a second chance." Kota rolled her eyes. "Five healers volunteered to go back to the Fire Nation to help more survivors. The bison left this afternoon so they'll be there by morning. Oh, and the airbenders left you that." She pointed to a tall wooden staff leaning against the wall, among the other Water Tribe décor that already adorned the small space. The waterbenders had pulled out all the stops when they learned the Avatar would be coming to train with them.

"A new glider!" Roh picked it up and looked it over, snapping out the wings happily, making Kota duck.

"Watch that thing."

"Sorry. How's everyone else?"

"Haider really enjoyed the collection of Water Tribe weapons, and got caught trying to steal a priceless whalebone knife. He's pissed that he has to share an igloo with two other guys because, and I quote, "That's gay""

Roh paused. "I guess it is."

"Yeah I wasn't any help in proving him wrong." Kota laughed. "Ennis is having the absolute time of his life, with the snow and cold water, and cold air, and cold buildings, and cold icebergs, and cold food--"

"Oh, are you cold?"

"Shut up. The healers said they could probably get Iden's legs back to full function with a few healing sessions, and Ara's staying with her in the meantime. And I think that's everyone."

Roh noted her exclusion of one person, and made a note to ask about that. She set the glider back down, took nearly everything off and blew out the lantern above them, still leaving the small flickering fireplace casting warm shadows across the room. Kota whined again when Roh had to lift the covers to get in.

Their lack of layers paid off though, and soon their body heat brought the environment under the covers to a tolerable level, along with Roh's extra firebender heat.

Kota wrapped her arms around Roh from behind, trying to get even warmer. She kissed Roh's shoulder softly. "You master waterbending yet or what?"

Roh laughed. "I've been here _one day._ How's Jaso doing?"

Kota grew somber. "Stable, for now. He's probably not going to suddenly get worse overnight, but he's also not going to magically get better. The focused healers can work on the parts of his brain that the lack of oxygen damaged, and the airway that was damaged by smoke."

Roh covered Kota's hand with her own. "I'm really lucky you're not in the same place right now." She used her free hand to lightly trace some of the swirl patterns on her girlfriend's arm.

"I wouldn't be." Kota said softly. "The spirit took me ashore and that's when I saw Jaso, and got him. If that spirit hadn't gotten me… we would've both stayed in the water."

Roh tried really hard to care more about Jaso. She really tried. It was hard to feel bad about anything with _her girl_ pressed against her back. "So the healers think the firebending thing is permanent?"

"Small price to pay for not _dying._ But yeah. Like they said, probably one of the effects of the spirit that took over me. I inherited the trait of being a non-bender. And some cool swirl tattoos."

"They are pretty cool."

"Just in time to freeze my ass off in the freaking arctic."

"I'll keep you warm." Roh let her fingertips graze the pattern on her arm again, forcing her mind back into the moment. She'd drifted off for a moment, thinking about the Chief's meeting today. The one guy who seemed to be starting trouble on purpose. Whom everyone was annoyed by. Instigated a fight earlier. Served no purpose to the board or the community. Such a shame he'd been too close to the riverside earlier, alone in the dark. Accidents happen. Like how he'd accidentally gotten the air sucked out of his lungs. Accidentally had some heavy rocks tied to his body and went for a swim. Based on the end of the last meeting, it really seemed like he was ready to abandon the tribes.

Roh grinned. That must be what happened.

Just as the moment seemed peaceful, in bed with no worries and the girl she loved, there was a scratching from inside the tunnel.

Roh sat up halfway, reaching for the staff and warming up her hands, ready to fireblast whatever came in. Kota stayed behind her but was already reaching for a spear near the bed, ready to put up a fight with whatever animal was crawling in.

The inner snowbag was pushed aside and Kautil, one of the tribe officials, poked his head through. "Avatar. Sorry to interru-- oh, I didn't realize you were alone. Sorry to wake you, but we need you. Quickly."

"Whoever's missing, I'm sure we can look for them in the morning." Roh said quickly.

"Nobody's missing." He caught his breath. "There's a fire. Quickly, please!" He turned and scurried back down the tunnel, not bothering to replace the snowbag.

Roh turned around. "Kota?"

"Why did you assume someone's missing?"

"Kota." Roh picked up her hand and looked at it.

"What?"

"Do that again."

"Do _what?_ "

"Whatever you just did when Kautil walked in on us half-naked."

Kota blushed again, embarrassed, and it happened again right before Roh's eyes.

"What? Why do you keep staring at--"

Roh held Kota's arm up in front of her, and Kota realized what just happened. She could see the swirling pattern glowing softly. _Only_ the pattern.

"You… disappeared."

~//~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Probably no one will ever get this far, so I can say whatever I want, huh? Even so, I'm really proud of this for now. It's kind of a sucky in-between, where this isn't an original world of course so I can't call it an original work, but it's got none of the characters of the actual series, so I don't get the fandom crowd either. I intended it to be more of something to hold people over while they're waiting for the next kyoshi book, similar to that style. But anyway this chapter was meant to be an introduction into a whole next part of their lives which i have planned but it seems nobody's taking interest haha. 
> 
> If anyone actually did get this far... like, whats up? You took the time to do this? I love you can we be friends?


End file.
